Blind Spots
by Sandylee007
Summary: When Naruto ends up getting beaten up yet again, his foster father Iruka decided the teen needs a break and sends him to stay with an old 'friend' Kakashi. What happens when Naruto meets Kakashi’s blind foster son Sasuke? AU YAOI NaruSasu, past KakaIru
1. Prologue – Of First Glances

A/N: Heh, after finishing several fics and getting one more to a point where its almost over, I just can't hold myself back any longer. I've been waiting to get started with this one for a very long time!

This is a yet another fic that did well in the poll. **Thank you from the bottom of my heart to those who've voted already** - there's been an incredible amount of you guys! (HUUUGS)

WARNINGS: YAOI, violence, language, oddness… Ya know, the usual lot. (grins)

DISCLAIMER: ME, thinking I'd own Naruto?! (starts laughing hysterically) Now THAT'S a good one. **Every village mentioned in this story is purely fictional.**

Oh yeah, and to those wondering! IF you want this to continue, I'm planning on making this about ten chapters long. It all depends on what my busy head comes up with next… (grins sheepishly)

**VOTING**, voting! What do you guys think about supernatural elements? I'm thinking that such would suit this story pretty well. I, however, do have a possible plotline for a story that doesn't include anything 'out of this world' as well. It's your call – I won't write in stuff you don't approve, of course! So let me know, yeah? Please? (glances pleadingly)

Awkay, because I've been stalling WAY long enough…. Let's get started! I truly hope you'll enjoy this.

(Btw… The lines underneath the chapter title are from 'Here I am' by Bryan Adams.) (grins)

* * *

**Blind Spots**

* * *

VERSE 1: Prologue – Of First Glances

* * *

"_Here I am - this is me"_

_

* * *

_

_**Konoha, Japan**_

* * *

The hospital's waiting room was so quiet that Iruka could actually hear the hollow buzzing and humming inside his head. His skull was throbbing painfully.

He'd been thinking and feeling too much – his head just couldn't take anything more.

He was still angry, he observed – he was fairly sure he would've killed those freaks if they'd showed up before him that long evening. They'd been systematically torturing Naruto for such a long time. This… was definitely going too far.

As from tonight things would have to change – whatever the cost would be.

"Iruka?" The rather old doctor – Sarutobi – had met him and Naruto so many times that pleasantries and introductions weren't needed. Looking to side, he wanted to wince at the expression he met. Somehow the doctor's sadness made the whole situation all the more real, and it was painful. "Naruto… is out of the surgery."

He swallowed thickly. "How is he?"

The man sighed heavily, appearing almost defeated. "I can't lie to you. I don't know how many villagers attacked him this time, but… The injuries were severe. Broken bones, even internal bleeding… He's a tough kid for not losing his consciousness."

He felt sick to his stomach, and if it wasn't for the doctor he might've thrown up right there and then. Instead, however, he buried his face into his hands and fought against breaking down.

The doctor took a moment before going on. "He's still under the anesthetics, but you'll get to see him in a few hours." He barely heard, didn't even register the man leaving.

He was absolutely still for about ten minutes. Then, as though running from something, he speeded out of the building, its smothering stench becoming too much to handle. He didn't have any idea how he'd ended up there, but he found himself nearby the entrance of the hospital, with a cigarette in his hand.

Had the situation been another, he might've chuckled. So much for quitting…

In the end he stayed outside for a full hour, his screaming thoughts becoming further and further tangled with each passing minute. He came to a conclusion that this would have to _stop_, once and for all – no matter how much it'd hurt.

Using absolutely all his determination, he pulled out his cell-phone and dialed numbers he'd sworn to never use again.

His eyes were dark and hard as he waited. It seemed to take a small eternity before there was finally a response. "_Hello_?"

He fought the urge to wince. In a way, he'd been hoping he wouldn't have to hear that voice… He, however, steeled himself rapidly. This was no time for hesitations. "Remember when you told me that you're willing to do anything to make up for what you did?" He took a deep breath. "Now it's time for that."

* * *

When Naruto woke up, the first thing he became aware of was ache – such that seemed to take over all of him. He emitted a moan, trying to clear his head.

What the heck had happened? Why…?

And then came the memories. No matter how hard he tried to hold it back, a soul tear slipped to his cheek, and despite the fact that it hurt he brought his hands to his face. "Damn it…"

"Naruto?" The tired and scratchy, yet soft male voice startled him at first, but when he recognized it as Iruka's he relaxed slightly. "Are you awake?"

He wouldn't have wanted to be, not with the memories. But he nonetheless opened his eyes, coming to a realization that he'd already brought his foster father more than enough worry. Very bravely he created a grin, although it stung inside and out. "Hey."

Iruka tried to smile, he could tell, but failed miserably. "Hey." Then, so unexpectedly that the change scared him, the man's expression transformed into an almost hopeless, disheartened one he'd never seen before. "Naruto, I… I'm so sorry."

His startle over the usually calm man's reaction made his faked smile grow even wider still, to such extend that it hurt. "Don't be." He wondered why talking hurt as much as it did – it felt like his face had been ripped in two. Or was it just the smile? "I… I'm fine, see?" He hoped dearly that the man didn't see how badly he trembled while he stretched his arms to side – which turned out to be a big mistake. He almost cried out under the pain that erupted, and his carefully created expression fell to pieces.

No hit or insult had ever hurt him as much as the expression he saw on Iruka's face just then – a look of utter grief and defeat, such agony no one who doesn't have children could imagine. It took a full minute before the man managed to speak. "Naruto…" A hand wrapped around his, and he hoped from the bottom of his heart the brunet would've dared to hold on tighter. He needed the touch so much. "Things… Things can't go on like this anymore, okay? One day they'll give you a hit too hard, and…" His foster father trailed off.

Terror flooded through him, ice-cold and suffocating. A feeling of being abandoned struck him hard, stealing his breath. "What… are you talking about? I… I can…" Words died into his suddenly very tight throat. He couldn't even say 'I can take it' anymore.

Iruka's gentle eyes had never been as heartbroken as they were then. "I'm so sorry, Naruto – you… you can't even imagine…" The man swallowed, appearing torn. "But… You can't stay here, at least for now. The next time… The next time they may kill you. And… I'm not about to let them keep hurting you."  
He swallowed thickly, feeling terrified and furious. Why the hell did it have to be him leaving, when it was obvious that it was _they _who had the problem – why was he chased away? Why did he have to go? But he, of course, voiced none of those thoughts. This time he didn't even try to fake a smile. "Where… Where are you sending me?"

Iruka's eyes were unfamiliarly dark and unreadable. The man looked away. "To… a very old friend. I'm trusting him to take a good care of you."

* * *

_**Four weeks later**_

_**

* * *

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_**Fireland, England**_

* * *

When Naruto opened his eyes in a slightly too cold buss – slowly waking up from a slumber – he first met fog that looked more like a wall than anything else. It was impossible to see more than a metre or so ahead. The whole landscape looked like it'd been ripped from a horror story with steep, rocky cliffs and narrow paths. His eyes flew wide, and his heartbeat gained a foreign, slightly erratic rhythm.

It looked like he was finally there – whatever 'there' was.

"Are you getting out or not?" The buss driver's expression was an extremely irritated one. "I don't have all day, kid."  
"Sorry…", he muttered, gathering his things with some effort – and cursing his arm, which was still in a cast – then rushing out of the vehicle as fast as he could.

Once outside, he halted abruptly to keep himself from running into a person who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. Looking up, he met a man with silvery hair and black eyes, of which one was covered by a eye badge. "You must be Naruto", the man guessed.

He nodded slowly, his hometown having taught him to be wary of people. "Yeah." He then created a grin, effectively chasing away all visible signs of nervousness. "Naruto Uzumaki."

The man seemed amused. "I'm Kakashi Hatake. You'll be living with me at least for a while." Kakashi then took one of his bags and gestured him to follow. "Now let's go. There's a storm incoming, and I'm pretty sure neither of us wants to be outside when it erupts."

Naruto agreed almost fervently. If this village was this chilling now, he didn't even want to think what its storms would be like.

He groaned inwardly as they walked on and the first, huge raindrops started to fall.

What a record – he'd only just arrived, and he was already wondering if he was completely out of his mind.

But then again, he reminded himself, this place couldn't be worse than Konoha. Right?

-

Kakashi sighed inwardly while watching Naruto walking before him. Of course Iruka had been almost brutally honest when explaining the situation, but…

Naruto's right leg was obviously malformed in one way or another. It was pointing inwards as though it'd been broken, and he couldn't understand how it was possible that the blond wasn't in pain. He counted that two fingers were missing from the boy's right hand. He'd also seen quite a number of scars on the blond's face. But the worst, however, weren't the physical damages. Although Naruto had tried to smile and grin, the boy's blue eyes had never been along. The long years of all but torture had left such an amount of fear and wariness lingering that he wasn't sure if any amount of time would chase it away.

He couldn't even imagine what this teen must've been put through in his narrow-minded home village, where people still persistently believed that handicapped were a god's punishment.

Without a doubt, this kid would have a very long road ahead of him, and he wasn't entirely sure where to start. But he was going to do this, for Iruka.

He wasn't about to give up this time around.

* * *

Naruto wasn't sure what he'd expected Kakashi's house to be like, but he nonetheless blinked with surprise at what he discovered as the man parked to a rather tiny yard.

The house was rather small – one and a half stories high, Kakashi had told – and looked like the maroon surface could've used some new paint. But nonetheless the house was homey and breathed out warmth. He almost liked it.

"So…", Kakashi woke him from his thoughts. "Do you think you can live here?"

"Yeah…", he managed, forgetting to fake a smile. "I guess I can."

The man smiled. "That's good." The silver-haired then started to move. "Now, let's go inside – I'll introduce you to Sasuke."

He frowned. "Sasuke?" He then remembered. "Oh yeah, your foster son!"

Kakashi nodded, appearing somewhat amused. "Don't let him startle you, okay? He's… not exactly a model example of friendliness. You need to be patient if you want to get close to him."

He tried his hardest to grin. "Nah, don't worry. I can handle him."

Kakashi chuckled. "You sure are a brave one."

For once, his grin was a genuine one. "So I've been told."

He wished his bravery had lasted a little longer. He swallowed thickly before following slowly as Kakashi climbed out of the car. At the moment, he was once again seriously wondering what he'd gotten himself into…

As soon as the door was opened, however, his doubts faded away. The house was somewhat messy – he guessed that almost no item was in its rightful place – but he nonetheless fell in love with the building instantly.

Yes – he could definitely imagine living there for a while. Or could, until he heard steps and Kakashi's voice. "Sasuke, this is Naruto. He'll be living with us for a while."

He turned his gaze, and just had to blink twice at what he found. Sasuke… looked nothing like he'd imagined from Kakashi's words of warning while standing there with folded arms. Sasuke wasn't overly tall or big – the boy's frame was so slender it could easily be called thin. Black hair and even darker eyes created a stark contrast to almost inhumanly pale skin. The boy stood before him looked almost frail – beautiful, as handsome didn't exactly work in this case. Very beautiful, and cold.

He outstretched a hand, once more trying to grin for the sake of his sanity and dignity. "Hey. I'm Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki."  
Sasuke didn't accept his hand, didn't even look at him properly – the raven seemed to be staring at some spot behind him, and he felt tempted to investigate what was so captivating. "Are we going to continue this pointless chitchatting, or will you help me make some dinner?"

He muttered under his breath while following the raven, who ran a hand against the wall while going, as though feeling his way around. "What a sunshine…"

"Hn", was Sasuke's response.

Neither noticed how Kakashi disappeared from the scene with a wistful little smile on his face.

In the kitchen – which was tiny and not exactly overly tidy, yet cozy – they started working in silence, he doing as much as he could without really knowing where to find anything. But despite the unnerving elements of unfamiliarity he started to relax while chopping vegetables the best as he could. He'd always enjoyed cooking – somehow, in the kitchen's warmth he felt like a normal person. It was a huge relief.

While cooking, he found himself paying attention to some of Sasuke's rather strange habits. The boy… was barely looking at what he was doing. The raven seemed to be using his fingers for seeing – his hands measured every single distance and felt their way around with such care that it looked like the boy's fingers had been dancing.

He frowned. There was something wrong with this boy, something he couldn't quite put his finger on…

"You're staring, aren't you?"

He grinned sheepishly. "Eh… Sorry. I was just… wondering." He then frowned, approaching the raven although he had a feeling it wasn't wise. "Sasuke, what are you doing?" He laid a hand to the boy's shoulder, instantly surprised by how Uchiha's whole body shuddered violently and tensed up against the contact, as though his touch had burned. "Sasuke… Are you….?"

"Yes, okay?" To his surprise, the boy looked towards him. He shivered a little when meeting a pair of obviously unseeing, yet flaming eyes. "I am blind – I've been as blind as a bat all my life." Just then the phone started ringing somewhere in the distance. The raven all but spun around, starting to head away. "I've gotta go."

He groaned inwardly, fighting against the desire to slam his forehead against something hard.

Only one hour behind, and he was already anxious to get back home. Or perhaps it was 'former home' already. He didn't know, and when he mused some more he came to a realization that there was very little he did know anymore.

Had he focused a little less on those gloomy thoughts, he might've noticed a tingle on his skin that'd never been there before.

* * *

They didn't meet for the rest of the day, but that was nonetheless how their story began. Their lives would never be the same again after the burn mark their meeting had left, that much was sure. Whether the change would be good or painful, was still very much of a mystery even to fate itself.

* * *

TBC, or does it?

* * *

A/N: So… Whadda you say – was that a worthy start out? Do you want to see where this thing shall be headed?

My time on a computer seems to be VERY limited these days (groans), so I have to start tuning out right about now. PLEASE, do leave a review before you head out as well! It'd mean a lot to hear what you guys think about the future of this lil' fic. And if you want this to continue, remember to vote, yeah?

Until next time, I hope – be it with story or some other!

Take care!


	2. Of Attraction And Abhorrence

A/N: My… dear goodness! (gasps loudly, then makes an anime fall) NEVER before (seriously, folks) has the beginning of a story of mine received THAT great welcome – so many amazing reviews…! (blushes) I'm absolutely speechless here, you know?

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for those breathtaking reviews! (HUUUGS, and showers you with all kinds of treats) I could've NEVER imagined that something I've written could receive that much excitement. THANK YOU! **Responses to anonymous reviews **can be found from underneath the chappy, btw. I truly hope I managed to respond everyone! If you've been forgotten, please do let me know, yeah?

Okay, because I think the best way of showing my appreciation is to get on with the story… (rubs hands together, and gulps nervously) Gosh, how I hope this chapter won't be a disappointment! (glances hopefully)

(Btw… The lyrics-line underneath the chappy title is from 'Here I am' by Bryan Adams.)

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VERSE 2: Of Attraction And Abhorrence

_"It's a new day – it's a new plan"_

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_**Two Weeks Later**_

* * *

As time passed, Naruto found himself becoming intrigued by Sasuke although he knew such confusing infatuation to be masochistic. The change was troubling, especially considering that most of the time they were practically at each other's throats, hissing insults for no particular reason. It felt like they'd both been on fire of some sort whenever they met, and it infuriated them to the point of insanity. It went above Naruto's level of understanding how Sasuke could be so… attractive (because he didn't have a better word) and repulsive at the same time.

But nonetheless, against all reason, he was obsessed. That became apparent when he wrote a letter to Iruka, and during proofreading noticed that over half of it had been ranting about Sasuke. He'd shuddered, destroyed the letter and pretended that it never existed.

But confusion notwithstanding, he enjoyed being in England. As he'd assumed from the beginning, even though people stared at him and whispered the town was much better than Konoha. The fact that Kakashi gave him home teaching also spared him from the torture of having to go to school. For the first time during his almost fifteen years long life he wasn't feeling like suffocating.

"Naruto." Kakashi's somewhat irritated voice called him back to reality. The man was looking at him somewhat questioningly. "Is there something on your mind?"  
Without being able to control himself he glanced towards a picture placed nearby. It represented Sasuke at the age of around eleven or twelve, sulking with his arms folded. "I was just… wondering." He pondered how to set his words. "How did Sasuke become your kid?"

Kakashi seemed to sink deep into his thoughts. For a moment something that looked like a beginning of a smile lingered on the man's face. "I first met him when he tried to rob me. I decided to adopt him the moment I saw him."

Naruto blinked twice, thrice. "What?!"  
Kakashi seemed amused by his shock. "It's a long story. And I'd prefer Sasuke telling you when he's ready."

He scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, right… Like he'd ever tell me anything."

An infuriating expression that told the man knew something he didn't appeared to Kakashi's face. "He just needs time. He's always found it hard to trust people, but…" The silver-haired shrugged. "Maybe you're a special case."

His mouth tingled with desire to make a full flood of questions, but before he got the chance to say a word Kakashi picked a book, starting to read, and spoke. "Now focus on geometry. I think you've been stalling doing your schoolwork long enough."

With a very moody pout he did as ordered, his skin tingling mercilessly with curiosity that hadn't been soothed.

About an hour later the house's door opened. Sasuke was completely wet from the rain that'd been pouring outside all day, and it sounded like the boy muttered something extremely dark under his breath.

He must've been looking at the Uchiha for a mighty while before something else claimed his attention. Kakashi was looking at Sasuke with a strange expression – it was as though the man had been trying to find something. "So… How was it?"

Sasuke made a very grumpy sound. "As bad as I expected." The boy then started to march towards his room. "I'm tired, and I've got a ton of homework to do, okay? So let's leave the grilling here." And so the raven was gone.

Kakashi sighed almost soundlessly, but Naruto's spirit didn't falter.

He'd seen something much too familiar on Sasuke's face – he needed to make sure he hadn't been right…

He felt Kakashi looking at him while he started to move. "You do know what you're doing, right?"

He waved a hand. "Meh, there's just something I want to check out – I won't upset him or anything. I'll be back in a little bit, okay?"

In a couple of moments he made it to the room he and Sasuke now shared.

Although he'd lived there for two weeks, the room still managed to surprise him. It was… even bleaker than he'd first expected. No lights – after all, Sasuke didn't need those – only a school desk, a bed, a carpet, one small window and a bookshelf that included about twenty books in Braille, and his mattress. Simple and clean – what now his things were scattered messily all over the mattress.

"Now what?" Sasuke's voice was gruff. The boy didn't even attempt to look towards him.

His eyes flashed slightly. "You're even more of an ass than usual. Are you okay?"

Sasuke's blind eyes darkened significantly. He was fairly sure the boy balled his fist and grit his teeth. "I'm fine." It came out slightly too defensively. "I just… had a long and rough day, okay?"

He heard thunder booming outside, and that's when he made up his mind. "You know what?" he stated, his voice filled with determination. "You're coming with me."

Sasuke quirked an eyebrow. "Where to?"

He grinned. "To the rooftop."

Sasuke scoffed. "You do know that there's a horrible weather outside, right? And that I won't be able to see a thing."

He shrugged. "So what? Trust me, it doesn't take eyes to see this."

Seeming sceptical, Sasuke finally nodded stiffly and followed.

He led the Uchiha to the house's attic, then pushed open a small window, thus dropping a set of ladders and opening them a route to the roof.

Sasuke, if possible, seemed even more sceptical than before. "What the heck are you planning?"

He rolled his eyes. "Stop being a baby and follow me, will you? Besides, this is a flat roof – the worst that could happen to you is falling on your ass." In the spur of the moment he took the boy's hand. "I won't let go, I promise."

For a while Sasuke tried to pull away from his hold, but once noticing that his determination was unwavering the raven started following with a dark expression.

Although his arm wasn't in the cast anymore it hurt, and his leg made climbing extremely hard. That's why it took long before they finally made it to the slippery roof. Moving there was even more difficult to him, and he had to use all his body-control to remain upright.

The Uchiha all but glared at him. "You're trying to get me killed, aren't you?"

He snorted. "I told you I wouldn't let go, didn't I? So stop twitching." He then glanced towards the majestic storm raging – making the mist around the village even thicker than usual – and a huge grin appeared to his face. "You know… Before coming here I hated thunderstorms. But in this village they're something special. I bet you can feel it, too."

He expected Sasuke to retort, or at least give a 'Hn'. That's why he was surprised when instead the raven remained completely quiet. Looking towards the Uchiha, he smiled when noticing that the boy had closed his unseeing eyes to focus on his other senses. Following the example, he closed his eyes and held on to Sasuke's hand determinedly.

Quite absently he realized that since he'd met Iruka, this was the first time he felt truly connected to another human being. That thought made him feel so good that he smiled against the pouring rain, subconsciously holding Sasuke's hand tighter.

If this wasn't living, he didn't know what was.

No words were needed while they stood there with their eyes closed, marvelling the nature's greatest display at work and feeling better than ever before.

About an hour later they were shivering from cold and incredibly wet, so they decided to go back inside. Neither noticed that they forgot to let go of each other's hand.

Although he was frozen and feeling uncomfortable in his drenched clothes, Naruto grinned while glancing towards Sasuke. "So, was it worth it although you couldn't see?"

Since he'd arrived, he hadn't seen the raven's expression as peaceful and content as then. "Hn."

So focused they were on something else entirely – each other, perhaps – that they failed to notice how Kakashi arrived to the scene. Both shuddered slightly as the man spoke. "I may not even want to know what you've been doing." The man looked at his clothes with some mirth. "I suggest you get changed before going to the physical therapy."

His expression darkened for a moment. So it was time to face the reality once more, to face the ache and pitying looks…

Quite soon, however, he managed to create a rather feeble grin. "Yup, I remember. Give me two minutes and I'm good to go."

* * *

As usual, Sasuke's dreams were haunted that night – it was amazing, really, how he could have such vivid nightmares although he was blind.

He dreamt of whispered words of comfort, which turned out to be all lies.

He dreamt of fire.

He dreamt of screams.

He dreamt of the stench of blood.

With those dreams, it wasn't all that surprising that when he woke up to someone's hand on his shoulder, he brought his fist forth.

"Woah, Sasuke, calm down!" Naruto's startled voice brought him back to reality. "It's… It's just me, okay? Calm down."  
Very slowly his fist fell, although adrenaline still burned in his veins. "What are you doing on my bed?" he demanded, his voice slightly harsher than he'd planned.

"You were having nightmares." Naruto sounded slightly shaken. "You trashing around and whimpering, so I thought I should wake you up."

He found it hard to think of what to do next with the other boy's warmth so close to him and he frowned, furious with himself. "Hn."

They sat in a surprisingly comfortable silence for a while, until he heard Naruto hiss slightly. Despite disturbing dreams it didn't take him all that long to understand. "Is your leg giving you a hard time?"

For some reason Naruto's surprise amused him. "How…?"

He shrugged. "Your steps sound off. I figured there's something wrong with your leg."

"Oh." Naruto was quiet for a while, apparently pondering whether he should add the rest. "It always acts up after physical therapy, that's all." He felt eyes on him. "Now are you ready to talk about those dreams?"

"Hmph." He then attempted to glare. "Get lost, will you? I want to sleep."

"Nah – I'm staying right here." Apparently so close that he could sense Naruto's warmth. "I don't want your nightmares keeping me awake all night." Somehow, it felt like the boy had been hiding something.

He wanted to argue, but couldn't find the strength for fighting. Therefore he closed his eyes – wondering if they'd really been open at all – and relaxed to his mattress. "Fine. But no touching, understood?"

"Like I'd even want to."

He could feel that Naruto was still far closer than he would've liked, but couldn't help himself. In a matter of moments he was asleep.

-

The next morning Naruto slept too late. When he woke up, he found a glass of cold water and a couple of painkillers sitting on his nightstand.

He gave a slight, lopsided smile at the glass.

Apparently that was Sasuke's way to say 'thank you'.

* * *

Quite as Naruto had expected, that day was also rainy while he sweated and hissed from pain in his physical therapist's – Jiraiya's, who was apparently Iruka and Kakashi's friend – handling. They'd already trained his leg and arm for an hour, but the man still showed him no mercy, gave no permission to relax.

In a way, such near-torture made him feel good.

Jiraiya wasn't treating him like glass – the man knew he was a strong, capable person, respected him enough to force the best out of him. Such honest acknowledgement felt very good, although appearing to these sessions – again and again facing just how much there was wrong with him – was almost unbearable.

After half an hour more Jiraiya finally nodded, appearing somewhat thoughtful. "Okay, I think that's enough for today." While he slumped to the floor – panting heavily and unable to take a single step – the man looked at him, appearing deep in thought. "So, what's wrong? You've been distracted all day."

He hesitated for the longest time. When he finally spoke, he couldn't look at Jiraiya. "I'm just… confused." Once he got started, there was no holding back the rest. "I just… When I came to England, I guess I expected everything to change immediately. But… Everything's still a mess. People are nicer and I don't have to go to school. But I'm still _different_, and I miss Iruka." _And_ _then_ _there's_ _Sasuke…_ He shrugged, feeling somewhat helpless under a loss of words. "I'm confused."

It took a minute before he dared to look at Jiraiya. To his surprise, he didn't face the pity he'd been expecting. Instead he found a smile. "I've gotta admit that I have no idea what you've been going through, Naruto, but I've got the feeling that you've been put through hell. I bet there's been many times you've felt like giving up – but the point is that you never have. You've pushed yourself through, placed yourself above all those idiots who've been harassing you." The man's smile widened just a little. "You've survived, Naruto – you're still alive and sane. And I think that proves you'll be able to adjust to this new life as well."

For the first time in a long while he smiled genuinely, something strong and bright swelling in his chest. "Thanks."

* * *

Sasuke's thoughts were a huge mess while he sat on a much too familiar bed, listening to the few sounds inside and outside the room he was in. It was so quiet that he could hear the beating of his heart and the rush of his blood, and for some reason that made him feel slightly sick to his stomach. He fought to keep his breathing even, and almost winced at the dizzying, sharp mixture of scents that assaulted his consciousness when he inhaled deeply.

This was one of the few times he was glad he couldn't see, because he knew there was a huge mirror right before him.

He really didn't want to look at himself at the moment.

He'd never liked being touched. That's why he shuddered almost violently when a hand touched him, until the arrival spoke. "So here you are. I thought you wouldn't show up at all."

"I never bail on the deals I make", he growled almost harshly while letting the other wrap a pair of arms around him. "Kakashi would kill me if he knew about this, you know?"

He sensed the other's amusement. "Then why don't you leave?"

He growled, then – with years of experience – found the other's lips with surprising skill. After several moments that were between furious and heated he bit the lips against his lightly before breaking apart. "You know fucking well why I don't leave."

There was a chuckle. "Well, I've always liked your honesty." Several kisses hit him here and there, and he shivered underneath them, not liking the random attacks he couldn't predict. "I've missed you, you know? We all have."  
Blind or not, he could tell his eyes flashed. He grabbed the other's clothes hard when his fists balled. "You know I'm never coming back to that life again", he hissed.

The other's kisses and bold touches didn't stop or even falter. "That's what you keep saying. But I think we both know you've come too far to really get away."

Rain and thunder wiped away the sounds that erupted.

* * *

Naruto had already fallen asleep – exhausted by Jiraiya's session – when he shuddered into full wakefulness at the sound of someone slipping into the room. He lifted his head right on time to see a drenched wet Sasuke close the door soundlessly.

A frown made its way to his face. "Where have you been? Kakashi's going to give you a interrogation tomorrow."

Sasuke emitted something that sounded like a growl, glancing unseeingly his way. "None of your business", the raven growled like a harmed wild animal.

He scoffed. "Bastard." His frown from before then reappeared as he noticed that the Uchiha crawled into his bed, still wearing his wet clothes. "Aren't you going to get changed?"

Sasuke lay down and turned his back to him. "Let me sleep, will you?"

Far more words he couldn't recognize would've wanted to make their way through his throat, but for some reason he just couldn't speak out. Therefore he rolled to his side so that he was no longer facing Sasuke, and focused on staring at the blue wall before him.

Rain and thunder raged outside while they lay in their beds, both fighting with themselves. Instead of approaching they listened to each other's breathing, both waiting for the other to fall asleep.

Neither had much sleep that night.

* * *

In the meantime a very serious Genma – who obviously hadn't been sleeping well for quite a while – sat in an airplane, on his way to England. While everyone around him was asleep, he couldn't even close his eyes.

He groaned, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

Why the hell did he have to be the one to deliver these news, to put Naruto through this crap as well?

Night was pitch-black and solemn around the airplane.

* * *

TBC, riiiight?

* * *

A/N: Oh dear… So more bad news, huh? (gulps thickly) Poor things!

So, whadda you say – are you still on board? I'm REALLY starting to fall for writing this one, so I kind of wish you are. (smirks sheepishly)

IN THE NEXT ONE (if you, of course, want to read such): Naruto gets some news that turns his life around – as does Kakashi. Sasuke tried to rid himself from the shadows of past in a not all that wise way.

Awkay, because I'm determined to push two projects forth today and it'll take time (thanks to my computer that's gone insane – grrr….), I'm starting to tune out. PLEASE, please leave a review to let me know what you thought of this one, yeah?

Until next time – with whatever story that may be!

Take care!

* * *

**kai**: Those kind of people are the worst and most dangerous there is, no? And to think they exist is real life as well, destroying countless of lives in their blindness. (growls)

Aww, you poor thing! (hugs) 'Hope you've already recovered from that hellish holiday experience.

But now… Ah, I'm so happy to hear you're exited to read more! (grins radiantly)

Huge thank yous for the review!

I really hope you'll find this update worth the wait.

**-**

**friend of a friend's friend**: Awww, I'm VERY happy to hear you liked the beginning! (grins from ear to ear)

Massive thank yous for the review!

I really hope you'll be staying tuned.


	3. Of Losses And Tension

A/N: (chuckles) Talking about inspiration – I'm back already! (grins) I've seriously made my keyboard smoke on this one. (rubs hands together with excitement)

But first… My dear GOODNESS – you guys are unbelievably amazing! So many reviews…! (sniffs with movement, and GLOMPS) You've officially made me the happiest author on this site, ya know? THANK YOU! (hugs again)** Responses to anonymous reviews **can be found from underneath the chappy, btw – as usual. (grins)

Awkay, because the best way to thank you is to get on to the business… (gulps) Gosh, how much I hope you'll enjoy this as much as you enjoyed the last one! (crosses fingers)

(Btw… The lyrics-line underneath the chappy title is from 'Here I am' by Bryan Adams.)

* * *

VERSE 3: Of Losses And Tension

* * *

'_And suddenly the world is all brand new_'

* * *

For someone of his age, Naruto was quite an expert when it came to recognizing bad omens. That's why he knew to expect something very, very bad over half an hour before the house's doorbell actually gave a somewhat off-tune sound.

He made it to the hallway just on time to see Kakashi looking at the visitor with an all but shocked expression – and Genma stood by the doorway with a dark expression. "What… are you doing here?" the silver haired managed.

Genma most likely barely heard, because just then the man noticed him. Their eyes met – and at that moment he caught on. There was only one reason for which Genma could've appeared, that much he knew while his heart all but stopped.

He took a step back, shaking his head. "Hey." His tone was extremely weak and pleading, so sad that it would've broken anyone's heart. The eyes that turned away gave no hope. "What… What's…?" Words died into his throat.

Genma swallowed thickly before bracing himself and looking towards him. "Naruto, I'm so sorry, but…" The man gulped again, eyes turning into such he didn't know. "There's been an accident." Nothing more needed to be said.

At first he remained absolutely frozen, not really understanding what was going on. Then, very slowly, Genma's words started to sink in, crashed down on him.

"Naruto!" He didn't know who called out for him, didn't even care – it wasn't Iruka.

He didn't quite make it on time. He threw up to the bathroom's tile-floor, then slid down against the wall with his face buried into his hands and trembling uncontrollably. When the sobs started he didn't think they'd ever stop.

-

To Kakashi, it felt like all air had been stolen from him. His head spun, and his eyes stung hellishly. His knees had never been as weak as they were then, and he had to use the nearest wall for support. It took his all not to throw up.

Iruka… Iruka was…

One of the few people he'd ever really cared about was _gone_. All hope was gone.

As soon as he could be sure that Naruto wouldn't hear and he'd managed to find his voice, he spoke. "It… wasn't a accident, was it?" His tone was cold and hollow, like steel, too many emotions giving it a sharp edge.

Genma held his quiet for a mighty while. "The driver… should've been able to see Iruka and hit the brakes", the man admitted, obviously wary of his reaction. "There would've been enough time."

Rage – such he'd never felt before – traveled through him like a flood. And as from that moment he couldn't take it anymore. If he stayed, he might've seriously hurt someone.

"Make sure Naruto doesn't do anything stupid, alright?" he asked in a near-screech while walking towards the door. "I need fresh air." So saying he was out.

* * *

After Naruto had spent almost an hour in the bathroom, Sasuke decided that he'd need to do something. His knock was firm as it hit the door. "Naruto, you've been in there for a long time. I'm coming in."

Receiving no response he opened the door, and almost reeled backwards when the stench of vomit hit him across the face. He frowned. "Have you… thrown up?"

It took almost fifteen seconds before Naruto responded, so quietly that he barely heard. "Yeah." The boy was silent for a long time. "I… don't feel good."

He nodded, coming to a realization that words wouldn't do much good in this situation. After hesitating for a moment he took a step towards the direction of Naruto's voice and slid to the floor, feeling the other boy's warmth. Usually he would've been bothered by such a close proximity, but now… For some reason the damn Uzumaki's grief got under his skin, almost managed to upset him as well.

His left eyebrow twitched dangerously, and he couldn't understand why he didn't just push Naruto away when the boy leaned his head against shoulder all of a sudden, sobbing hysterically. Not managing to do or say a thing he sat there, allowing the Uzumaki to flood out all his grief.

That's how they remained almost all night, ignoring the eventually appearing sounds of Kakashi and Genma arguing out of sadness, guilt and frustration.

* * *

**_Five Days Later_**

* * *

**_Konoha_**

* * *

For Naruto, returning to Konoha felt like a bizarre, very bad dream. Kakashi and Genma both worked their hardest to spare him from the worst impact, but even they couldn't help with everything. The stares and vicious whispers started immediately, and it was almost chillingly easy for him to sense that he was a very, very unwanted person. The most ruthless ones even murmured half-aloud that it was his fault Iruka had been killed, that it was he who'd brought this on the teacher. But for once he didn't care much about the people, barely even noticed them.

What he'd come back for was much more important. He wasn't about to crumble under the stares and start to weep – he needed to be strong for the sake of Iruka's memory.

Strong, however, was the last thing he wanted to be when he all but crawled out of the car, then started to limp his way towards a tiny chapel where a memorial service would be held. He felt between saddened and relieved when discovering that aside him, Sasuke, Kakashi and Genma only five people were about to attend. No one else had cared enough to show up.

Asuma and Kurenai – a married couple and Iruka's old friends – gave him looks of sympathy, and the woman even went as far as hugging him. Izumo and Kotetsu also gave him somewhat murmured words to let him know that they understood how he felt.

He swallowed slightly when seeing Yamato, who'd obviously been crying not too long ago, and after letting the man hug him glanced around nervously. "Where's Sai?"

Yamato seemed to feel slightly uncomfortable. "He… found it best not to show up today, for your sake." For some reason he was fairly sure that was a lie. "But he told me to let you know that his thoughts are with you."

He nodded stiffly, his head starting to hurt. He sure as hell didn't want to think about Sai, especially today. (In his emotional turmoil, he never noticed the loudly speaking looks that were passed between Kakashi and the rest of the adults.)

Then they all entered the chapel – and he froze to the doorway, his eyes blurring in an instant. The whole building was dimly lit, but he could still see the altar, the pictures and candles placed to it. He'd never felt more alone in his entire life.

He used all his willpower, and quite miraculously managed to fight against tears. "I… I can't", he all but choked out – to whom, he didn't know. "I can't do this."

He shivered a little when feeling a cool yet strong hand grab his, and blinked with stun when realizing that the touch was Sasuke's. Suddenly he didn't feel alone anymore. He squeezed the raven's hand tightly – gratefully, almost – as they started to walk on side by side.

About ten minutes later the ceremony started as a rather old, somewhat creepy-looking priest appeared. It was much more than Naruto could take to listen to the priest's hollow words – said with far too little emotion and red straight from the paper – and watch the pictures on the altar.

And to make matters even worse, it was around then – as they walked up to one picture to leave a single flower – reality truly struck him like a fist.

Iruka was really dead, nothing but a memory. From now on pictures and memories were as close as he could get to the man who'd been the only father he'd ever known – the only family he'd ever had. And even the thought hurt more than he could stand.

Even Kakashi's reflexes weren't enough to catch him before it was much too late, and as his legs gave way he slumped to the floor, squeezing the rose he'd been carrying tightly to his chest although it hurt due to the thorns.

Someone's gentle hand was laid to his shoulder. "Naruto…"

He remembered screaming, remembered finally bursting into tears. The rest of the ceremony was nothing but blur to him.

* * *

Much later that evening Kakashi's eyes were nearly glazed over while he stood in the middle of Iruka's bedroom, which had been _theirs_ once upon a time. So little had changed that it almost shocked him, but the most important was missing.

He couldn't feel Iruka's presence anymore. The brunet was gone, and without his warmth the room was cold and hollow.

His eyes strayed to the pictures scattered all over the room, and his heart ached just a little bit when he noticed that the photographs of them had been replaced. Instead he saw images of Iruka with Naruto and some other children – students, he figured. In many snapshots the brunet smiled, but never with his eyes. Even when the man seemed to be at his happiest something remained missing from those warm, brown pools he'd once fallen so very hard for.

He couldn't help wondering if he'd really killed something inside Iruka, and the fact that he'd never get any answers or a chance to make things right made him feel sick to his stomach.

He was about to break down a little bit when he sensed that he was no longer around. Peering over his shoulder he found Yamato, who had a sombre look on his face. "Naruto isn't asleep yet, but at least he seems stable now – I managed to persuade him into taking a couple of sleeping pills. He really needs rest right now; there's a long road ahead of him."

He nodded, not really managing to feel a thing when far too many thoughts and emotions twirled deep down. "Thank you."

The way Yamato stood still, along with the man's expression, revealed that there was something more. "Look… I promised to be the one to let you know this, so…" The man took a deep breath, also glancing towards the photographs. "Iruka… He left Naruto's custody to you. He's your son now."

He shuddered violently, his head starting to spin from those surreal words.

Iruka… had left Naruto to him? After everything that'd happened, after all the things he'd done… Iruka had trusted him enough to…

This was all going over his head, fast.

"Kakashi?" Yamato was looking at him with a frown. "Are you okay?"

_No._ "I…" He swallowed and licked his lips, finding it hard to breathe and almost impossible to think or speak. "I just need a moment alone, okay?"

Yamato nodded curtly, then turned around and started to walk away. Just before he'd left the man stopped abruptly, not turning to look towards him. "Oh yeah, and Kakashi." The voice was much sharper than before. "Just so you know… He never stopped waiting for you. He never really stopped believing in you." With that the man was gone, closing the room's door.

For a couple of moments he kept staring at the closed door, then turned back towards the pictures and other memories. At that moment he did something he hadn't done in years, hardly ever.

He slumped to the bed, buried his face into his hands and cried.

* * *

In a room not all that far away, Naruto lay on his back on his old bed, staring at the roof that seemed to be spinning right before his stinging eyes. During the past hours he'd cried so much that he was feeling weak and his face felt puffy. All he wanted to do was sleep, because he'd never been as exhausted as he was then.

He, however, had company. And despite everything else his heart thumped somewhat out of rhythm as he _felt _Sasuke, who was sitting on the bed beside him.

"So… Are you just going to lay there fighting sleep all night?" Sasuke asked in the end, breaking an extremely long silence.

He groaned, rubbing his face with both hands. Apart from blinking it was the first movement he'd made in an hour, and he discovered that his muscles _hurt_. "I… I think you should go, okay?" His voice was scratchy and quiet, as though his throat had hurt badly. "I want to be alone." He was already feeling way too much, and with all the confusion lingering the Uchiha's presence only made things harder.

He couldn't deal with the vibrations between them tonight.

Sasuke took in a deep breath, not facing his way, and in some other state of mind he might've noticed how hard the following words were to produce. "Look… You're not the only who's lost someone."

He glanced towards the Uchiha with disbelief, feeling a flare of anger. "What?!"

Sasuke seemed extremely frustrated, even embarrassed. "I'm just trying to say that I get you, okay? I know how you feel."

He knew he was being irrational and cruel, but he just couldn't help himself. There was too much poison in his veins – some of it needed to get out. "No, you don't understand! How could you fucking understand?!" Once again he was sobbing, this time dryly and tearlessly. "He was everything I had, he was my _family_ – you still have Kakashi! So don't go telling me you know how I feel!"

A huge part of him expected Sasuke to snarl back, or to at least glare at him. But the Uchiha did nothing such. Instead the boy got up, turned around and marched out of the room, slamming the door shut as he went.

For several moments he considered going after Sasuke, but in the end he came to a conclusion that he was much too exhausted and emotional for such. Besides, he wouldn't even have been able to stop the Uchiha.

Instead of getting up he lay down, buried his face into his hands and cried himself into a drug-induced sleep.

* * *

Once upon a time, Sasuke had lived in the absolutely worst parts of Konoha, which barely any outsider dared to approach. Back then he'd been very good at finding ways to delude himself and detach himself from the reality. He was pleased to discover that nothing had changed over the years passed.

"Sasuke?" Suigetsu's slurring voice was just like he'd remembered. He barely heard to the boy from the deafening music coming from the reeking apartment. Before he could sense it approaching a pair of arms was wrapped around him and heated lips found several spots of him. "Holy damn, I can't believe you're back!"

"I won't be for long ", he growled. He then braced himself and managed to take a step away from the much too eager teen. "And I didn't come back for…" He gestured towards his lips. "… _this_."

He could imagine the other's devilish grin. "So you say." A step revealed that Suigetsu moved out of the way. "Well, then… If you want to get your head messed up, you came to the right place. Welcome in – we just have a real party going on."

* * *

The next day dawned just as gray and depressing as those in England, and in other circumstances Kakashi might've felt like he'd been home. That day, however, his head was hurting because he had far too many things to worry about.

It was enough that he was in Iruka's apartment and the man was gone, leaving behind a dull ache inside him and an all but shattered teen. Now Sasuke was also missing, and it took all his acting skills to hide how worried he was from Naruto. Although it also made things difficult, he was glad Yamato was around; at least the man was able to keep the teen distracted.

So deep in thought he was, that he shivered a little his cell-phone rang. "Yeah?"

"_It's me._" Kotetsu's voice was easy to recognize. "_Listen up. I'm at the station, and we just got a call that there's a passed out teen at the cemetery._" The man gave a somewhat sad sigh. "_I assumed you want to go and get Sasuke before we have to._"

He bit back a loud groan. "Thanks." With that he hung up, fairly sure some irritation danced in his eyes along with relief. At least Sasuke had been found, though he wasn't entirely sure what'd happen next.

"What is it?" Naruto's red and puffy, still exhausted eyes flashed with something he easily recognized as worry. As he'd assumed, the blond had never really focused on watching TV. "Is something wrong with Sasuke?"

For a moment he looked at the blond's much too vivid facial scars – which looked like whiskers around the boy's mouth – and took in all the inconsolable sadness in those blue eyes. And he understood that he just couldn't tell the truth. "Meh, it was nothing such", he stated a bit too smoothly, pouring away his coffee and walking off to put on his jacket. "I'll be back in a bit – Yamato will be taking care of you until then. Try to take it easy, alright?" Without waiting for a response he walked out and hurried to the car he'd rented.

-

It didn't take Kakashi long to reach the cemetery, and it was even easier to find Sasuke. The Uchiha had passed out to the cold ground, with his forehead and other hand pressed against a tombstone. It was fairly easy to notice that the boy had cried at some point.

He sighed heavily, feeling a heavy stab of sadness. "Damn it, kid…", he murmured, picking the much too light form easily into his arms. "You'll be the death of me, you know?"

Sasuke frowned and emitted a sound he couldn't recognize, but didn't stir. With another sigh, he lifted his dark gaze and glanced towards the names engraved to the stone.

_Mikoto and Fugaku Uchiha_

Gritting his teeth and starting to make his way towards the car before Sasuke would freeze to death, he wondered bitterly just how much more these teenagers would have to deal with – and just how much more weight would be put to his shoulders.

Now he had two messed up teenagers in his care. And in all honesty he had no idea how he'd make it through without losing his sanity.

* * *

It was a miracle Kakashi managed to carry Sasuke into the house through a backdoor without Naruto noticing. Two hours later the Uchiha was more or less awake and pretended that nothing had happened. His interrogations and half-threats never got through to the boy.

* * *

_**Three Days Later**_

* * *

The past days had been surprisingly quiet, apart from several muffled arguments Naruto could never quite catch a word from.

In the end Iruka was cremated, which was what the man had wanted. They decided to take his ashes along – they couldn't really believe that the man would've wanted to be buried in Konoha. Although it'd hurt almost more than Naruto could bear they'd also packed up the teacher's belonging, stuffed a whole life into a few boxes. Now, they were finally on their way away from the hellhole, back towards the mist of England.

Somewhat cautiously Naruto glanced towards Kakashi, who was staring out of the airplane's window, obviously very deep in thought. He wondered if the man had slept a wink since the funeral.

Although he already had a feeling that it was a big mistake, he then moved his gaze towards Sasuke, who seemed even paler than usual while obviously faking to be asleep. They hadn't really talked since _that_ night, and the tension between them was even worse than before. He'd tried to approach the Uchiha more times than he could count to apologize, but the boy wouldn't really let him anywhere near him; apparently he'd injured the raven's pride even worse than he'd thought. They were civil towards each other, but he wondered if it was only because Sasuke had been somewhat wary around him since Iruka's death. He had no idea how long either one of them would bear the uncontrollable electricity and agitation.

He closed his eyes and smothered a sigh, already knowing that he was most likely going to get no sleep.

Everything was up in the air, leaving only one thing certain.

Nothing would ever be the same again, he mused darkly while fiddling a tiny, wooden pendant Iruka had left for him.

Without him being able to do a thing about it the plane took him towards the unknown.

* * *

TBC, no?

* * *

A/N: Oh goes… (sniffs) Talking about dramatic, ne? (sniffs again)

I REALLY need to start tuning out now, but first… **PLEASE**, please leave a review to let me know how you felt about this chapter! (glances with huge puppy-dog eyes) It'd really mean a lot, ya know…?

In the next one: Naruto tries his hardest to piece together his life, and Sasuke doesn't know what to do with his. One night pushes them closer together… Also, Naruto finds a part of Iruka's life he hasn't known before.

Awkay, until next time – I truly hope ya'll all be on board for it!

Take care!

* * *

**Bask**: Awww, great to hear I'm not the only one enjoying this! (grins from ear to ear)

And gosh, how it warms my heart to hear you consider the plotline original.

Truck loads of thank yous for the review!  
Goodness, how I hope you'll enjoy the rest of the ride!

ps: ! rules, big time! (grins) (Says an author who uses it 1000000 times in one PM.)

-

**kai**: What was the teme doing indeed? Knowing him… (shudders) And poor, poor Naruto – let's hope what's approaching isn't as bad as it looks. (gulps)

HUUUGE thank yous for the review!

'Hope I'll see you next time.

-

**Cookie**: Heh, I totally agree with ya, actually – Sasuke having secrets has been used A LOT before! He's just the kind of a guy, I supposed. (grins and sweatdrops) BUT, I can promise you that it won't swallow up the whole story; the main-focus will always remain on Naruto and his story. (nods and grins) So no worries. And I'm so glad you said that out loud so I was able to give you some relief!

And I'm beyond thrilled to hear ya like my writing style, btw. (grins from ear to ear)  
And GOSH – if something's really happened to Iruka…! (winces) Poor Naruto, is the least I can say. (sniffs loudly)

Massive thank yous for the review!

I truly hope you'll enjoy what's up ahead in the story.


	4. Of Ghosts From the Past

A/N: Heh, you know, if I wasn't so busy with work, I would've updated even sooner. (Which says something about the amount of inspiration I now have!) BUT, now the new chapter is here! (grins from ear to ear)

But first… GOSH! You guys just keep blowing my mind away, ya know? So many fantastic reviews! (sniffs with movement) You are AMAZING – THANK YOU! (glomps you all) **Responses to anonymous reviews **can be found from underneath the chappy, btw – business as usual. (grins)

Awkay, because I bet you want to get on with the actual story… Let's go – I REALLY hope this chapter is worth all the love this lil' story's been getting so far!

* * *

VERSE 4: Of Ghosts From the Past

* * *

'_It's a new world - it's a new start_'

* * *

_**Three Weeks Later**_

* * *

Psychiatrist Tsunade had been working in her new office for almost two years, yet she still hadn't grown used to how hot the room got when all heat packed up into it as the day passed by. That's why she wasn't feeling exactly comfortable while Kakashi Hatake sat all but slumped to the couch opposite her. The man's expression spoke far louder than words as he retold the events of the past weeks.

When he grew silent she frowned while digesting what she'd heard. "How did Sasuke end up to his parents' grave?" Not that it would've been her greatest concern, but for the sake of her sanity she wanted to start with the most harmless part of the story.

Kakashi's face gained a strange expression. "One reason to why we left Konoha was that all those familiar places and memories kept Sasuke trapped into the past. He ran off to their grave five times a day if I didn't stop him." He sighed a little, shaking his head. "No matter how many years he spends away, I'm pretty sure he'd find it even in his sleep."

She nodded slowly, then held her quiet for a couple of moments. "How is he doing now? He's been skipping these sessions."

Kakashi seemed to hold back a wince. "Yeah, I know. And in all honesty… It's impossible to tell what's going through his head these days."

She suppressed a groan, wishing she'd been more surprised than she was. She then focused on other matters, deciding to spare herself from a headache. "What about Naruto?" The boy had first appeared to her office two weeks earlier, and she'd immediately realized that she'd have a lot of work ahead with him. "Is he any better?"

Kakashi nodded slightly, and it wasn't until then she noticed just how tired – _exhausted_ – the man looked; it was as though he hadn't slept at all for the past weeks. "He's slightly better. He still has nightmares, though, even if he uses medication to get sleep. And he blames himself for all this. But I think he's getting there, little by little – he doesn't cry himself to sleep anymore."

She nodded once more, feeling slightly relieved. So at least one thing was going right…

Silence fell and became somewhat tense as they both realized that there was only one person left to discuss of. At that moment a bell rang as a sign that their time was up. Quite rapidly Kakashi got up, starting to head towards the room's door as though it'd been a sanctuary of some sort. "I'll see you later."

Just before Kakashi out of the room, she spoke once more. "And how are you doing?"

The man froze for several moments, his hand on the door handle. The sad smile that was eventually darted her way was such she'd never forget. "Meh, I'm just navigating through one disaster at a time." He then waved a hand. "I'll make sure those two come and see you tomorrow." And so he was gone.

She sighed heavily while watching the closed door.

That family had one hell of a workload ahead.

* * *

Although the worst and sharpest edge of ache was slowly starting to ease, Naruto still didn't find going through every day exactly easy. Though nights were even harder; he wasn't sure if it was easier to deal with the thoughts of long, sleepless nights or nightmares. But he was struggling on – for the sake of Iruka's memory – and he liked to think that he was at least somewhat succeeding, step by step.

What of course didn't make things any easier or less confusing was Sasuke. Although weeks had already passed it didn't look like they'd quite gotten over the fight they'd had, and the tension was driving him up the wall. That day, he finally decided to take harsh measures to make things right.

As several times before, he found Sasuke from the house's rather small, somewhat stuffy study no one else used. For several moments he became entranced by the way the Uchiha's fingers moved delicately on a book's pages, carefully taking in each and every sign made in Braille. He'd never seen the raven touch _anything_ as gently as the boy treated his books, which was why there was something frail and surreal in the whole situation.

Then, remembering that he'd come for a reason, he shook those thoughts away forcefully and spoke. "Look… We need to talk." What a clichéd start, but it was the best he could do.

Sasuke obviously didn't agree. The boy put away his book surprisingly harshly and all but bounced up from his seat. "You can talk as much as you want. But I've got a headache, and I'm not in the mood for dealing with you right now." With that the boy started to head surprisingly unsteadily towards the doorway he was blocking. Noticing that there was no way to get past him, the Uchiha tried to glare his way. "Let me go, will you?"

His eyes flashed, and before he even realized he was moving he'd grabbed the boy's hand. "No, you're not running away this time!" His eyes flashed as he braced himself with a deep breath. "I… I'm sorry, okay?" He was fairly sure desperation was clear in his tone, but didn't care. The only thing that mattered was that the other would believe him. "I'm sorry that I pushed you away – I was a prick and I admit it. But… Can't you understand how I felt, at least a little?" He swallowed thickly, feeling a tinge of hope once realizing that the Uchiha stayed put. "I'm sorry."

Several moments of silence and stillness ticked by, until he felt that his sanity was at stake. Then, very slowly, Sasuke nodded, his face relaxing barely traceably. A flow of relief went through him but he couldn't smile yet, because something told him that the matter wasn't closed yet.

Sasuke seemed very hesitant, almost reluctant, and he couldn't help wondering exactly what was going on. "There's… something I want to show you", the boy announced in a voice he didn't recognize.

For the strangest reason an electric tingle crossed his skin.

-

The village was small, so they decided to walk to the destination that was still a mystery to Naruto. It baffled the blond how well Sasuke knew every single turn and street corner – it was nearly impossible to believe that the raven was blind.

As they stopped he blinked several times when realizing where they'd come. "The hospital…?"

Sasuke stiffened instantly, balling his fists. "Just follow me, will you?"

He could only nod and obey. "Okay." In all honesty, he was growing very, very curious.

He didn't manage to speak a word as they made it through the painfully white hallways, Sasuke leading him so determinedly that he figured the boy had been there countless of times before. When they eventually stopped before a huge window he was almost relieved that Sasuke couldn't see, because the sight before them was heartbreaking.

A young man who couldn't be more than about five years older than they lay in a bed behind the glass, his painfully thin, pale form hooked on so many tubes and wires that it made him shiver. Even from where he was stood he could hear the dull sounds of a heart monitor and a breathing machine, which were desperately trying to connect the man into the world of the living. Then – as the first immediate shock faded – his eyes widened as he looked at the man more carefully and started to understand.

Long, black hair… Those facial features…

_Holy…!_

"I can't remember almost a thing of the accident." Sasuke's voice was a strange monotone, as though the raven hadn't been talking to him at all. "The car… came out of nowhere; the only thing I remember is that I screamed just before I hit my head." He heard the Uchiha's thick, laborious gulp. He glanced towards the boy's fists – not daring to meet the other's face – and found them balled. "They… They said that if Itachi hadn't protected me, I would've died – and he might've walked right out unharmed."

Naruto was struck absolutely speechless, and he opened his mouth several times without the slightest sound. A horrendous taste rose into his throat.

"It's… It's because of me my brother is here, it's all my fault that he'll probably never wake up." Sasuke's tone was already much harsher, almost bitter. "So don't ever tell me I don't know what it feels like to lose a family member again."

Words still wouldn't work for him, so he settled for actions. Quite cautiously he took Sasuke's hand and squeezed. A small smile of relief found its way to his face when the raven returned the hold.

-

Two hours later Kakashi peered into Sasuke's room, and for the first time since Iruka's death smiled genuinely at what he found.

Sprawled in a huge mess of limbs on a bed were Naruto and Sasuke, both obviously so exhausted that they'd fallen asleep. Finally the blond had managed to find rest without the aid of medication.

* * *

_**Two Months Later**_

* * *

That morning Naruto woke up to discover that Sasuke had once again disappeared without much of a word. He had to swallow the bitter taste of disappointment.

They'd spent a lot of time together during the past months, but Sasuke still kept shutting him out like this. Of course he hadn't expected a dramatic change in a blink, but this was getting ridiculous. And the most annoying part was that he couldn't keep himself from worrying.

To keep himself oblivious and distracted from thinking too much, Naruto attempted to keep himself busy with other things. To even his own surprise, he found himself approaching the boxes that were filled with Iruka's belongings. Despite all the time passed, the hit of memories was overwhelming. He actually trembled a little and shuddered as though he'd been shot.

For what must've been at least five minutes he stood absolutely still, staring at the boxes almost longingly – as though somehow hoping that the man would appear from amongst them. But in the end the desolate sight became just too much – the surges that'd been lingering underneath his skin became too much.

Giving a small, nearly wounded howl, he balled the fist that only closed in three fingers and _punched_. The mountain of boxes shuddered but didn't go down, and for some reason the failure made his eyes sting with tears that would've wanted to flow freely. His eyes narrowed while he balled his other fist as well. "Crap…"

He must've been standing there for almost twenty minutes – trembling uncontrollably – until he finally noticed that he hadn't failed completely, after all. For on the floor lay a picture that'd floated from some box.

Quirking a curious eyebrow and sniffing just a little bit, he picked up the picture – and blinked with utter stun.

In the picture was none other than Iruka – kissing Kakashi and smiling happily. The silver-haired man's arms were wrapped tightly around the brunet, the gesture suggesting that the protective hold would never break.

He frowned, feeling like there were several pieces of this puzzle missing.

Had… Kakashi and Iruka been a couple? If so, what in the world had happened between those two?

Swallowing thickly, he limped back to the room he shared with Sasuke and lay down on his recently bought bed, staring at the roof that seemed very dirty all of a sudden.

Just how much was there to his adoptive father and Kakashi he didn't know? Did he want to know?

* * *

Two days after they'd returned to England, Kakashi had picked a box from Iruka's things he was determined to open. Now, after such a long time, he was finally bold enough and opened the box to face the most painful memories; the photographs of them Iruka had never destroyed, several gifts he'd given the brunet.

So many memories of those times when everything had been good and perfect, before the storm had erupted. Back then Iruka's eyes had still smiled, he couldn't help noticing.

A choked sound erupted through his tight throat while he covered his face with one hand.

Suddenly he felt that he wasn't alone anymore. For some incredulous reason he almost expected to see Iruka, but instead he found Sasuke stood by the room's doorway. There was a thoughtful look on the boy's face. For a moment the Uchiha stood absolutely still, as though assessing the situation, then spoke. "Is… everything okay?"

Although the boy couldn't even see it, he found himself smiling even if tears weren't all that far away. "Yeah."

To his surprise Sasuke didn't leave, instead approached and sat down next to him. For the upcoming hour the boy stayed there, so close that he could sense the boy's surprisingly comforting warmth, while he went through a piece of memory after another for the last time. The Uchiha didn't speak, didn't even try to face his way, didn't see or judge as some tears finally escaped despite his best attempts.

When the boy finally spoke, his voice was much quieter and softer than the usual. "Are you okay?"

He closed his eyes, not bearing to watch the things scattered before him any longer. "Hmm. I will be." He didn't even realize that fifteen more minutes passed before he looked towards his adoptive son, and frowned at what he found. It was obvious that he wasn't the only one who'd dealt with a lot of emotions that day – the Uchiha's blind eyes carried a glazed, haunted look he hadn't seen before, and the boy was much paler than usual. Was the boy even shivering? "Sasuke…" He fought to keep his voice soft and even. "What's wrong?"

He could see Sasuke shudder and tense. "I'm fine", the boy responded curtly and automatically. "Just… worry about yourself."

"Sasuke." His voice was firm and his eyes equally stern while he looked at the raven, as though the boy had been able to see. "You know that you can tell me _anything_, right?" He swallowed, running a hand through his hair. "If there's something wrong… I want to know, okay?"

For a couple of minutes Sasuke remained absolutely frozen and seemed ready to deny everything, but then, very slowly… The boy's shoulders slumped in a defeated manner and lips started to part with apparent difficulty.

And at that moment his cell-phone started to ring.

Sending a long list of mental curses at the caller, he took a look at who the interrupter was. His eyes darkened as he spotted a familiar name. "Sasuke…" Looking to side, he felt his heart sink when discovering that the boy was already gone. His eyes flashed with frustration. _Damn it…_ Taking a deep breath, he finally accepted the call. "Yeah?"

"_It's me._" The voice was tight and tired. "_Look… Rika had a little skateboarding accident, and she won't stop asking for you. Do you think you can come over to the hospital?_"

He sighed and closed his eyes for a moment to gather himself for the situation at hand. It took some seconds before he managed to speak. "I'll be there soon."

* * *

Although he did his hardest to hide it, Sasuke's body shivered slightly while he pulled on his clothes, feeling so sick to his stomach that he was amazed he hadn't puked yet. Everything was spinning inside his head, which was a very disturbing experience considering he was blind.

"So, Sasuke…" The almost purring voice made his skin crawl, as did the warm breath on his skin. "I noticed you brought your new little… friend to see Itachi the other day." A finger traveled down his cheek, its long nail cutting a small wound that hurt more than it should've. "You're not letting him know too much, are you? After all… Do you really want me to tell the police what you did to _him_? No one would ever believe your stories – Kakashi least of all. Besides…" There was a small, chilling pause. "Your brother is quite helpless right now, isn't he?"

Moving much faster than should've been possible for a person with his disability, he spun around and all but threw his companion against the nearest wall. His shirt felt uncomfortably tight with the heavy, shuddering breaths he took. "If you _ever_ touch my brother…", he hissed.

There was a chuckle. "Easy now, Sasuke. You do remember how much there's at stake and how much you owe me, don't you?" Much too hot lips found his neck, and teeth hurt already tender flesh when biting in deep. "Not that I wouldn't like your violent side, though."

Giving a sound that was very close to a bark, he turned around sharply and started to walk away, fighting with his all against the several storms blowing inside him.

Just before he was out, words caught him. "See you soon, Sasuke-kun."

The door slammed after him.

When he finally got to the street he spewed out absolutely everything there'd been in his stomach.

He was glad he couldn't see the pitying looks people passing by gave him.

* * *

At some point Naruto had almost fallen asleep – exhausted by thinking and wondering all day – when he suddenly shuddered into full awareness as someone entered the room. He frowned when looking at Sasuke, who stumbled to his own bed and all but fell down. "Sasuke? What's wrong?"

"Nothing", Sasuke grunted out in a voice that carried so much it nearly took his breath away. "Just go to sleep and leave me alone, will you?"

Of course he wasn't chased away that easily. He got up from his bed and limped towards the other boy. His frown from before deepened still as he sat to the other's bedside without any invitation. "Are you sober?"

Sasuke shrugged nonchalantly. "Sober enough", the boy grunted out.

He groaned. "Damn it… If Kakashi sees you like this he's gonna kill you, you know?"

Something unreadable flashed on the boy's face for a moment. "Hmph."

He felt somewhat confused while examining Sasuke's face and trying to piece things together. Then his breath nearly stopped as he first noticed the bruise – a bite mark – on the boy's neck, then a tiny cut. "Sasuke, what is this?" Without properly noticing it he leaned closer to the boy, his heart thumping with shock as he noticed even more signs. _Shit…_ "What… What's wrong?" He hoped dearly that his tone didn't shudder as badly as he feared. _Just tell me. Please._

Sasuke remained absolutely still for a moment, not trying to face his way, then sighed barely visibly. "Not now", the boy all but murmured in a somewhat far-away tone, obviously fighting with himself. They were physically _too_ close – now they could both feel it. The Uchiha's expression was between anxious and irritated. "I'm too tired for this, okay?" Too bad it was too late to back down.

For a few moments time seemed to stand still as they both tried to come to grips with what was swirling inside and between them. In the end Naruto turned out to be the bolder one of them.

Sasuke's body turned completely stiff when he planted his lips softly to the raven's, but he couldn't bring himself to give up quite so easily. His heart was pounding furiously while he moved his hands slowly and gently on the Uchiha's stone hard, thin body, very slowly managing to make the tense muscles relax.

He didn't know if he was taking advantage of the raven's condition, if he was making a horrible mistake. His brain wouldn't function normally.

"What the hell are you doing?" Sasuke growled in a somewhat husky, slightly shuddering tone.

He frowned lightly when meeting the Uchiha's face, which carried an uncharacteristic, nearly scared expression. He licked his tingling lips, trying to even his breathing. "It's… It's okay, if you don't want this, you know?" Of course a great part of him would be disappointed, but…

Sasuke responded with locking his lips into a heated, nearly furious kiss. And at that moment nothing could control the heat.

Neither one of the teens noticed how clothes were sent flying as the kisses and touches intensified, heated up.

-

As much in control over himself as he usually was, Sasuke couldn't help shivering violently.

He'd forgotten so completely what likable touched felt like that he shivered a little with surprise under the urges and sensations Naruto's gentle caresses awakened. The blond's warmth and touches wrapped him into a blanket that wiped away everything that'd been done to him, erased the ache and humiliation for at least a moment.

"It's okay", Naruto whispered, most likely sensing the chaos inside him. The blond kissed the most hidden parts of him as though they'd been a great treasure, making his back arch slightly. "I'm not going to hurt you, I promise. I'll never hurt you."

Those words made him feel dizzy, wrapped him into a sweet oblivion.

Everything was okay…

'_I promise._'

Finally he wasn't feeling used, disgusted and humiliated as Naruto came. This was what he wanted – at least for now, when his screaming thoughts were raging on a million miles per hour.

-

The sounds they emitted that night were those of freedom and pleasure. They both needed this, or that's the conclusion to which they came. Maybe that'd be enough, for now.

Regrets and uncertainties were blissfully far away, only just lurking in the rays of the soon dawning morning.

* * *

Kakashi's chest was somewhat heavy while he stood behind the door of a hospital room, fighting with his all to find what he needed to enter. In the end he grit his teeth, fought to gather together a steady expression and pushed the door open.

The first thing he found was Shizune. The woman seemed troubled, almost nervous, while looking towards him and all but whispering. "I'm sorry – it sounded like I interrupted something. But she didn't give me any other choice but to call you."

He shook his head. "It's okay. I've told you that you can call me whenever she needs me, right?" he murmured. "I don't want to avoid my responsibilities. Besides… I've wanted too see her."

"Daddy!" Turning his gaze towards the direction of the voice, he found a pair of shining obsidian eyes that belonged to a very pretty, about six-years-old girl with long, black hair. He fought back a wince when seeing the bruises on her face and the cast covering her arm. "You came!"

Surprisingly enough he didn't have to fight on a smile while approaching her. "Well of course I did." He kissed her hair unexpectedly gently, then ruffled the dark locks. "Now what have I told you about using skateboards at your age?"

The girl only giggled and wrapped her good arm around him as tightly as she could.

* * *

When he woke up the next morning, the first thing Naruto became aware of was a crushing, all consuming headache – a clear sign that he'd been sleeping far too long. Giving a loud groan he rubbed his face with both hands, trying to make sense into things and remember what exactly had happened.

And then the memories hit him all too clearly. His eyes flew wide, and absolutely all color disappeared from his face as he gulped thickly and licked his lips.

_No way…!_

However, as he turned his gaze he found exactly what he'd been expecting – perhaps even dreading. On his other side was Sasuke, sleeping with his back to him. And suddenly he felt lower than almost ever in his life.

So the confusion had been too much; he'd cracked and done _this_. He'd taken advantage of the trust Sasuke had shown him and used the Uchiha before he could even be sure what the hell it was he wanted.

And the worst part was that he had no idea where to take things from here.

Making far too much noise he stumbled out of the bed and towards the room's door. Whether he was going to get coffee or throw up, he didn't know. All he did know was that he'd need to get out of the room before his brain would stop working again and he'd make things even messier.

-

Had he looked closer, he would've discovered that Sasuke was very much awake. The boy's blind eyes were troubled while they stared unfocusedly at the wall.

-

Naruto had just taken a huge mug – still cursing both himself and the extremely irritating headache that made thinking impossible – when the house's doorbell rang. The sound startled him so badly that the mug fell, smashing to countless of pieces.

He groaned loudly.

_Great…_

After trying futilely to gather himself for several moments he finally moved, walked up to the door and opened it. In an instant he wished he'd stayed where he was.

He swallowed quite thickly, feeling like taking a step backwards. Disbelief widened his eyes. "Sai…?"

The boy's expression was just as unreadable as it'd always been. "Hey, Naruto. Long time no see." Without waiting for his permission or letting his shock fade, the other leaned towards him and caught his lips before he could make a move to protest. "I decided to come and see how you're doing out here."

At that moment he did the only thing he could think of. He slammed his fist directly into Sai's face, as hard as he could.

* * *

TBC, right?

* * *

A/N: Oh man… (winces) Sure, there was a tiny bit of lemonade, but now those two boneheads are in a deeper mess than ever. And what the HECK has Kakashi been doing?!

So… Did ya like it? **PLEASE**, do leave a review – I'd really, really want to know what you thought about this one! (glances pleadingly) For the sake sun, ice-cream and all else that's good in the world?

In the next one (which marks the halfway of this story, btw): Naruto's firmly trapped between two lives, and the situation doesn't get any easier when certain truths begin to unravel. In the meantime Sasuke's life starts to boil over the edge.

Heh, I've gotta start tuning out now, so…

Until next time, folks – I REALLY hope I'll see you all then!

Be good!

* * *

**kai**: Oh no! (winces) I've been in that situation twice, and I've felt absolutely horrible when looking at all the people around me and not feeling… the right way. Makes one feel like an intruder, ne? But I know if I'd ever have to go the funeral of someone I truly care about… (gulps and sniffs)

Huge thank yous for the review!

See you around, no?

-

**Aachen**: I hope so, too! The poor things would deserve some mercy, ne? (sniffs)

Massive thank yous for the review! 'Hope you'll be staying tuned.


	5. Of The Messes Made

Hey there! I'm once again back with a new update, although it was a bit of a struggle to get this little one done. (grins) Yay?

BUT, first off… MAN, thank you from the bottom of my heart for all those FANTASTIC reviews! (GLOMPS) Gosh, I could've never imagined that this story would turn out to be THIS popular – thank you! (sniffs, and hugs again) **I'll respond to your signed in reviews in a matter of hours**, I promise! Right now I'll have to update before I'll be ushered away from my computer. I'm terribly sorry for this delay, but I hope this update makes up for it! Plus, this sucks, because I love talking to you guys. But at least I'll be able to respond soon, ne? (winces) **Responses to anonymous reviews** can, as usual, be found from underneath the chappy.

Awkay, because I'm in a hurry and I bet you want to get started… Let's go! (rubs hands together) I really, REALLY hope you'll enjoy this one. (glances somewhat nervously)

* * *

VERSE 5: Of The Messes Made

* * *

'_Here I am_'

* * *

Sasuke frowned when first waking up to distant hisses and other apparent signs of arguing, and against the orders of the nagging voice in the back of his head crawled out of his bed to go closer.

The first thing he caught was an unfamiliar male-voice. "I guess I deserved that."

"Yeah, you did!" Naruto was all but screeching – he'd never heard such fury before. "You… You fucking left me there, in front of all those people! You did _nothing_ to stop them!" The blond held a pause, obviously to gather himself. "You were supposed to be my boyfriend, and you… you just walked away, let them beat me up!"

A lot more was screamed, but Sasuke caught none of it. His mind was wrapped solely around one word.

Boyfriend…?

The horrendous taste of bile rose into his throat, and he actually trembled ever so slightly while balling his fists.

So… it'd been nothing but fooling around, after all. Not that he would've expected anything else, but… He'd thought Naruto would be different.

He'd been a fool.

The sickening taste in his mouth becoming too much, he spun around and – forced to use his hand on the wall to lead him – started to make his way towards the house's backdoor.

He'd have to get the hell out of the house, _fast_. He had to go to school, anyway. Although he wasn't entirely sure if he'd make it all the way there today…

* * *

Naruto was barely in control over himself while he looked at Sai's perfectly stoic, almost unaffected face.

How could Sai just appear out of nowhere – after not being by his side when he would've actually needed the boy, after they'd already freaking broken up – and just expect that he'd feel ecstatic about it?!

He balled his fists, his breathing shuddering badly. "Get… the hell out of here, do you hear me?" he hissed through tightly grit teeth. "Leave me alone!"

Sai opened his mouth, but all attempted words were interrupted by Kakashi's voice. "What's going on here?" There was a frown on the man's face. " I could hear you across the house."

Embarrassment and swirling adrenaline aroused a rosy hue to his cheeks. "'Sorry."

Kakashi made a somewhat dismissive gesture with his hand – signing that it was okay – then glanced towards Sai. "Now who are you?"

He felt slightly nauseated while watching the boy shake hands with Kakashi. "I'm Sai, Naruto's boyfriend."

Those words made him see red for a moment. "_Ex_-boyfriend", he snarled through once again grit teeth. "Who's leaving – _now_."

Sai shrugged, not appearing the slightest bit defeated, and looked directly to his eyes. "When you feel ready to talk, I'm in a motel across the town. I'll be here as long as necessary." With that the boy left.

His blood still boiled while he stared at the door through which the other had just walked, hoping from the bottom of his heart that he would've managed to scream.

He barely caught Kakashi's words. "That was… interesting."

After a few heated moments his head finally cleared enough to allow him to think, and he was sure he paled slightly when a rather nasty thought floated into his head. "Kakashi… Is Sasuke home?" Because if the Uchiha had heard his 'conversation' with Sai…

To his tremendous relief Kakashi shook his head. "He should be in school already." The man examined him with his gaze for a moment, appearing slightly worried. "Are you okay?"

He nodded, his sore and tense muscles relaxing. "Yeah. Sai just… He's always been good at getting under my skin."

Kakashi nodded, apparently understanding and believing, then turned around and started to head towards the kitchen. "I think I'll make us some tea so we'll wake up a little bit. Then we'll get started with studying history."

He felt like wincing. And to think he'd thought home teaching to be easier than going to school…

Just then, as he watched Kakashi's retreating back, he managed to shove all other messy thoughts away when rediscovering the memory of the picture of the man and Iruka he'd found. His head had been so filled with mess that he'd almost forgotten about it, but now…

"Hey, Kakashi." He licked his lips as the man stopped and glanced towards him, preparing himself. "You and Iruka… You knew each other. Were you ever a couple?" If the man would be perfectly honest with him…

His whole body turned cold when instead of admitting everything Kakashi shook his head, despite a feeble smile something he'd never seen before flashing by his face. "No. We… We were very good friends, that's all." The man then turned around, continuing his journey towards the kitchen. "Now, the tea…"

He barely heard, because his head – which had already been screaming with everything that'd happened between him and Sasuke the night before, and Sai's appearance – came close to the point of tilting completely.

Kakashi, one of the few people he'd considered honest… had actually lied to him. Now he could be sure the photograph he'd found was a lead towards a secret of some sort. And he had no idea what to do about it.

Needless to say, he didn't manage to focus on studying that day.

* * *

Sai had always been persistent, ever since he was born almost two months too soon and stayed alive with sheer determination. When he wanted to achieve something, he achieved it – no buts or ifs. Naruto, crippled or not, was definitely worth fighting for, he'd decided long ago. But he knew that there was an obstacle standing in his way.

Naruto might not have noticed the raven-haired teen who'd been listening to their… conversation, but he had. He'd also seen the teen's reaction to their words. And he knew he'd found a formidable threat.

Whether it meant he was a selfish prick or not, he wasn't about to let Naruto move on and slip away from him like this. He deserved his second chance, and he was going to get it.

And that's why he'd followed the raven as he left school – one meant for teens with special needs, he'd noticed with great curiosity – to find them end up to the city's shadiest part. Now, he stood in the dark shadows of a nearly collapsed, old block of flats and waited like a snake in the grass.

After almost an hour the mysterious boy finally did come out – but not alone. One of his eyebrows bounced up when he noticed the gray-haired teen, most likely a year or two older than the raven, following the strange boy. He wished he could've recognized the look that lingered on the extremely pale black-haired teen's face when the other wrapped a pair of possessive arms around the shorten one and whispered before letting go. The raven walked away with sharp, fast steps, not looking back. His eyebrow rose even higher.

_Now isn't this interesting…_

And then, the gray-haired lifted his gaze. Their gazes met for a moment and without really noticing it they nodded, sharing a secret.

They both wanted something, and they were willing to fight for it.

Satisfied with this new discovery and wordless alliance, they turned around and started to walk away, for now.

The time of taking advantage of this discovery would come soon.

* * *

By the time the clock was three, Naruto was having a huge, seemingly never ending headache. All the things bouncing around his skull – the still lingering ache left by Iruka's death, his confusion when it came to Sasuke, Sai's unwanted appearance and Kakashi's secrets – left a banging ache no painkiller would've managed to erase.

He was slumped to his bed, feeling somewhat sorry for himself and his face buried into his hands, when the Uchiha finally came home. Casting a glance towards the blind raven, he frowned when seeing the dark circles around the boy's eyes and the unnaturally pale face. "Are you feeling sick or something?"

Sasuke didn't even attempt to look towards him. "No." The tone was a sharp clip, such that almost made his skin crawl. "I just didn't sleep well."

He blinked twice, feeling somewhat confused. "Oh…" Taking a deep breath, he came to a conclusion that it was time to try and deal with the mess they'd made. "We have to talk."

"No, we don't." Sasuke's sharp words and motions as the boy took a couple of books confused him. Were things really this badly wrong? "Your boyfriend is here now. So go to him and leave me alone, will you? You have no obligations towards me – as far as I'm concerned you're a free man."

And it was at that moment he finally clicked. A wince crossed his face. "You… heard me and Sai, didn't you?" He took a deep breath while the Uchiha tensed up completely. "Look…"

"Stop it." Sasuke's tone was so harsh – so cold – that he couldn't help obeying. It was extremely hard to believe that the eyes trying to glare his way were blind. "Just save it, will you? Last night… It was a mistake – we both know it. You don't have to pretend you care. So let's stop playing stupid, childish games already, okay?" With that the Uchiha turned around sharply and started to march away.

He swallowed thickly, not managing to speak out a word although there was a ton of things he would've wanted to say.

_Can't you see how fucking confused I am?! I need time, Sasuke! Please, just… Don't…!_

As the door slammed after Sasuke, he buried his face into his hands.

* * *

During his life Sasuke had met several shrinks – and hated every single one of them. They always started with the same empty phrases, circling around him like vultures and looking for easy ways to earn their salary.

He didn't have high expectations on Tsunade, either, still didn't in the middle of their sixth session. But at least he could tolerate her, for so far she'd used no cheap tricks. Now if only she hadn't made him feel like he'd been ran over by a truck every time they met…

"It looks like you don't have a lot to tell me today." Her voice caught him somewhat by surprise, which irritated him. Who was she to ambush him? "That's a surprise, considering how much there's going on in your life."

He shrugged, folding his arms to his chest. For some reason flashbacks of the night he'd spent with Naruto flooded in, making his skin tingle uncomfortably. "Hn." He then frowned as his restless, wandering fingers hit something soft and cool. "Sand?"

"It's a mini sandbox. I bought that thing two weeks ago – apparently it calms people down."

He was far from convinced, although his fingers didn't follow his orders to pull back. "Why?"

"Who knows?" Tsunade sounded between thoughtful and amused, and he had an unnerving feeling that he was being analyzed as his fingers danced. "People are weird beings – I should know."

He finally managed to push the tiny box away, feeling somewhat nauseous. "I loved playing with the sand when I was a kid." He hadn't meant to say that, really – for some reason his tongue just wasn't his at the moment.

He could almost feel Tsunade lean closer. "So did I", she admitted. "My parents always took me and my brother to this beautiful beach."

Chills ran down his spine, and the nausea that'd lingered intensified so that he gagged dryly under an unwanted flood of memories. His stomach made a back flip before he managed to control it.

"Sasuke?"

Never had any other sound in the world made him as relieved as that of Tsunade's bell, which screamed that the tormenting was over. For some reason, however, his feet wouldn't work and carry him out of the room.

He shivered upon realizing that Tsunade had moved; when she spoke, her voice was much closer than he would've liked. "Sasuke, I think we made a tiny bit of progress today." She held a tiny pause when he wouldn't react. "I know it's hard and frustrating – there's a lot of work to do. And that's why I want you to keep showing up for these sessions, okay?" When he remained unresponsive she sighed – most likely thinking he didn't hear – before going on. "You should go to the blood test – we need to make sure there's no drugs, medication or alcohol in your system. But before going, hop on to the scale, will you? I want to see if you've managed to gain any weight."

His moves were like those of a robot when he did as ordered.

-

After Sasuke had left, Tsunade took a look at what the boy had created to the sandbox. A somewhat dark look appeared to her eyes. The patterns on the sand looked like someone had been trying desperately to grab something.

She had to restrain a sigh before following the teen.

-

To Kakashi, it seemed to take forever before Sasuke's session was over. As the room's door finally opened, he felt shivers when seeing the look on the boy's face, and became even further alarmed when Tsunade finally walked out.

He recognized her expression better than well – he felt that way about ten times a day.

Carefully making sure that Sasuke was too distracted to hear, she walked up to him. "Kakashi… He's lost weight again – not as dramatically as before, but still. And…" She shook her head. "I'm not sure if I want to hear the results of the blood test."

He nodded stiffly, feeling sick to his stomach. "Thanks." He knew she did her best, although the lack of results was infuriating.

Tsunade smiled a bit. "Don't look so discouraged. He did make some progress today – almost opened up. We'll see where that goes."

Just then they heard a tiny, unrecognizable sound that made them turn around.

He frowned when seeing a young man with gray hair and glasses – apparently a nursing student – talking to the Uchiha, a hand on the younger male's shoulder. The stranger's back was to him, so he couldn't see the male's expression, but he did see the look on Sasuke's face. And he'd never seen anything such. Feeling a flare inside, he started to approach. The mysterious boy left immediately when spotting him.

"Sasuke?" He placed a hand to his foster son's shoulder, only to find tension. "What's going on?"

The Uchiha wouldn't respond, only squeezed his lips to a tight, firm line.

-

When they left a bit later, Kakashi didn't turn around to see the way the stranger, who'd stopped a small distance away, looked at their retreating backs with a chilling expression.

* * *

Less than fifteen minutes later Kabuto marched through the hallways of the hospital, wearing a staff's uniform. Several thoughts spun around in his head.

Sasuke had broken the rules, that much he understood. Now, he was going to pay the price.

The people he passed by gave him slight smiles of acknowledgment, and although it sickened him he returned the kind gestures.

He was a part of the staff – no one paid attention to him. And he wasn't planning on changing that.

His eyes held a breathtaking amount of chilling emotions when he entered Itachi Uchiha's hospital room, then stood soundlessly to the bedside. "Sasuke really needs to be taught a lesson." He pulled out a needle. "And you're going to help me."

* * *

Naruto wasn't having exactly the best day of his life to begin with. And it certainly didn't get better when he was forced to go through one of Jiraiya's brutal sessions.

He was definitely in no mood for those. And the man seemed to sense as much.

When they'd been working for almost half an hour with barely any results and him whining constantly, Jiraiya finally had enough. "Naruto." There was something in the man's voice that made him focus on it completely. "What's going on?" Seeing his poorly faked confusion, the man went on. "You always complain, but you've never been this bad before. So what's wrong?"

For the longest time he thought about denying everything, but then… "It's… Sasuke. Like always." A dark blush appeared, he could feel it. "We… We did something kind of stupid, that's all."

At first Jiraiya didn't seem to understand, but as everything dawned a clear, thick red hue appeared to the man's cheeks. "Oh…!" The man's lips opened after a few moments, for a lecture no doubt, but he didn't give it a chance. He couldn't take any more guilt than he was in already.

He gestured animatedly with his hands. "And… And then Sai just had to appear!" He hadn't meant to say all this, but it was too late for regrets.

Jiraiya blinked twice. "Sai?" A deep frown appeared to the older man's face. "Naruto, I want you to tell me the whole story, okay? I need to know, so I can try to help you."

It took almost a full minute before he finally made his decision and spoke. "We… We were a couple, or something, for almost a year. Well, if you can call it dating – he always came and left pretty much as he pleased. But… I didn't mind; he was almost the only one in Konoha who wasn't disgusted by me – I needed that. I… I should've never trusted him." He took a deep, shuddering breath. "One… One night, there was this party, and he talked me into showing up. Those people, they… They were drunk and they…" It felt like a rope had been wrapped around his neck. He could barely breathe, and talking was next to impossible. The memories still hurt so much…! "They attacked, and Sai… He just abandoned me, like he would've never cared about me at all." He winced, fearing from the bottom of his heart that he'd break into glanced towards the older man, and felt a tinge of relief when finding sympathy instead of pity. "I… I really trusted him, Jiraiya. I thought he was different, that he'd help me – he always promised to. But…" He trailed off, this all a little bit more than he would've wanted to think about, let alone speak of. His voice broke as he went on. "He just walked away, never looking back. And they… they beat me up, broke my arm. He didn't even visit the hospital, or come to see me before I left Japan." And then happened the exact thing he'd been fearing – a soul, lonely tear slipped from his hold, sliding slowly to his cheek. His eyes narrowed with annoyance – he'd thought he was past the weeping-part already. "He… He didn't show up to Iruka's funeral either, even made Yamato lie for him. That's…" He swallowed. "That's when I knew it was over – I guess it'd never even really started." He cast his eyes downwards when another trace of moisture appeared. "He… He never cared about me. 'Guess I shouldn't have expected him to."

Jiraiya remained silent for the longest time, most likely trying to take in everything he'd just flowed out. Then, quite slowly, the man wrapped one arm around him, pulling him close enough to make the gesture feel protective.

He remained tensed up for a moment, but eventually relaxed once realizing that this person was in fact someone he could trust, someone who at least tried to understand. Someone who cared, even if juts a little bit.

He'd always felt embarrassed by crying in public. But now… Now, he'd finally let go of the bitter taste that'd lingered persistently on his tongue, released what'd been bottling up for a long time already. And unlike he'd expected it felt damn good, although it did nothing to ease the confusion and questions.

By the time he finally walked out of the building almost an hour later, he was so exhausted that his legs barely carried him. Suddenly he regretted his decision not to let Kakashi come and get him. How was he ever supposed to make it all the way to his new home?

So deep in thought he was, that he jumped a little when he got a text message, earning some extra glances from the few people around him. He fought the urge to groan once discovering who the message was from.

_I really am sorry. If you want to talk and hear me out, I'm in room number 34. Let me take you back home, where you belong. No one else could care about you like I do._

He winced, and made his decision in a heartbeat. Two presses of a button deleted the message.

* * *

Naruto's head was almost hurting from too much thinking by the time he entered his new home, finding a somewhat troubled looking Kakashi standing before a window. Once again the secrets the man was most likely hiding crossed his mind, but he pushed those thoughts away for the time being. Right now he had other thoughts on his mind. "Is Sasuke home?" Because now that Jiraiya had helped him clear his head they needed to have a long, without a doubt difficult talk.

Kakashi's expression was quite close to normal when the man turned to look towards him. "He went for a walk. He said he needed to think after his therapy sessions."

Not sure how to feel about those words, Naruto nodded. "Thanks." It was one of the few times he didn't even try to fake a grin. "We'll both be back in a hour or so, okay?" He wished he'd been more confident than he was while leaving the house.

-

As soon as Naruto had left, Kakashi gave a deep sigh, sinking back into his thoughts.

He truly hoped Naruto would find Sasuke and even manage to sneak through the Uchiha's barriers, because he was running out of both ideas and strength.

Closing his eyes, he wished for the about millionth time that Iruka had been there beside him.

* * *

Naruto didn't know what exactly led him to the right place, but eventually he managed to find Sasuke from a swing not too far away from home. He'd never seen anyone look as lost as the Uchiha did while sitting in a swing, obviously deep in thought.

After hesitating for the longest time he first took one step, then more until he was stood almost before the Uchiha. "I… came to look for you", he explained. "Kakashi was worried – and so was I."

Sasuke's expression was dry, hid away a lot of emotions. "You shouldn't have worried – I'm fine. Besides, I'm capable of taking care of myself."

He couldn't keep a snort from coming.

Clearly having heard the sound, Sasuke shot a rather nasty look to somewhere past him and got up, starting to head away rather slowly. "Like I said, I'm fine. So you can get off my back now."

He had no intention to let the Uchiha slip away from him when he finally had something reasonable to say, when his head was finally at least somewhat clear. His hand was swift to get firm grasp of the raven's.

"Now what?" Sasuke all but barked out.

He didn't let the harsh tone shatter his newfound determination. "I don't know if what happened was a mistake or not, okay?" He licked his lips, not indenting to let go of the hand he'd finally managed to grab. "I need time – we both do. We started this crap the wrong way round, but I want to see if there's a chance to make things right." He inhaled deep, only then realizing that he'd been holding his breath. "I care about you, okay? A lot. I don't want you to run away from me."

In all, utter honesty he didn't have the slightest clue as to what he should've done, how to handle someone like the Uchiha before him. At the moment those feeble words and this hold were everything he could offer, and he hoped from the bottom of his heart that they were enough.

Sasuke remained as stiff as a stone for so long that his head could barely take the wait any longer. Then, very slowly, the Uchiha's fingers wrapped around his in an exhausted manner. He wished he could've seen the raven's face, but the boy's back was still turned towards him.

Silence twirled around them as they stood there, neither moving or even trying to speak, barely daring to breathe. The things unsaid weighed heavily on their shoulders as they took in each other's scent. Little by little Naruto felt the shadow of confusion fade away, leaving him bare and uncharacteristically frightened. But despite those feelings he didn't let go of Sasuke. Because as they held each other's hands he could feel something waking up slowly between them, pulling him towards something unknown.

And he couldn't help wondering exactly what he was falling into.

* * *

_**Five Days Later**_

* * *

That day, as so very many before it, dawned rainy and desolate. And from the moment Naruto opened his eyes, he felt that something bad was approaching. Perhaps that feeling was why he insisted to accompany Sasuke when the boy went to see Itachi, although they were still on a shaky ground.

As soon as they entered the ward Itachi was supposed to be in, it became apparent that something was badly wrong. For they weren't allowed into the older Uchiha's room – instead a young female nurse walked up to them. Naruto was beyond relieved Sasuke couldn't see the gloomy expression on her face. "You're… here to see Itachi Uchiha, right? You must be his brother."

Sasuke nodded sharply, as though sensing already. "Yes."

"We were about to call you." The nurse took a deep breath and gathered herself for a moment before even attempting to speak again. "I'm… afraid I have some bad news for you." She tried to meet Sasuke's eyes, obviously not realizing that it was impossible. "Some days ago Itachi's condition began to deteriorate, and we had to transfer him to ICU."

Sasuke seemed to flinch a step backwards, most likely without noticing it, and he grabbed the boy's hand to make sure he wouldn't do anything stupid. "What… are you saying?" the Uchiha demanded in a near-snarl.

The nurse swallowed thickly, appearing far sadder than a professional should have. "I… I'm sorry, but… It's highly unlikely that he'll recover."

Neither of them noticed as the nurse spoke a few more words, then left, apparently realizing that there was nothing she could do. As soon as her solemn declaration sunk in Sasuke's knees all but buckled as though the boy had been shot, and when Naruto moved rapidly to catch him he found his arms full of an Uchiha. "Sasuke?" He didn't dare to let go, instead pulled the other closer, almost startled by how cold the body was against his. For the longest time he didn't know what to say, couldn't even find his voice. "Do… Do you want to go and see him, before…?" He didn't dare to say the last words in fear of what they'd do to the Uchiha.

Sasuke didn't respond, didn't react to his words in any way whatsoever.

Unsure as to what he should've done – how to handle the raven without bringing any further damage – he kept holding on tight. He couldn't help wondering if Sasuke noticed just how badly the raven was trembling in his arms.

Almost an hour must've passed before there was finally a near-whisper he almost missed. "Get me out of here." Sasuke's eyes expressed so much that it almost took his breath away as the boy finally looked at him. "I've gotta get out." It was obvious the other wasn't talking just about the hospital.

He didn't know what else to do, what else could've helped, so he closed his eyes and leaned forward. As his lips met Sasuke's, he realized that he was no longer confused or blind sighted by his messy head.

He wanted to make sure the Uchiha knew he cared, wanted to ease the tension and ache he could feel so clearly. He wanted to chase away the haunted look on the raven's face. And now he knew for sure why.

For the first time in his life he was seeing things perfectly clearly. He hoped from the bottom of his heart that Sasuke did as well while the raven leaned slightly closer and responded to the kiss.

* * *

Almost five hours later, Sasuke was finally asleep with the aid of three sleeping pills. While sitting on the boy's bedside Naruto's heart was beating a little too fast as he watched the raven sleeping so close to him that he could almost feel the Uchiha's nearly feverish warmth. Without noticing it he started to stroke the boy's surprisingly soft locks with a gentle hand.

There… would be a long road ahead of Sasuke. And he had no idea how the Uchiha would make it through. How either one of them would make it through. But he wasn't going to give up, not now when things were finally becoming clear.

Giving a deep sigh, he finally decided to go and let the Uchiha, or perhaps them both, get some rest. Looking back about five times, as though hoping the other would wake up to him leaving, he emerged from the room.

Following the sound of an open TV, he limped into the living room. He almost smiled when discovering that Kakashi had fallen asleep to the couch.

Apparently he wasn't the only one exhausted by all this.

Then, slowly, his gaze moved. His eyes widened at what he found.

There, on a TV-screen, were none other than Kakashi and Iruka at around his age, in a city that looked quite a bit like Paris. Never had he seen Iruka as happy as the man was there, being kissed and held by Kakashi.

Then his gaze strayed, and he noticed a letter that'd fallen from Kakashi's hand to the floor. No matter how hard he tried to convince himself that he shouldn't interfere, he couldn't hold himself back. His steps barely soundless enough not to wake the man, he walked on and took the piece of paper. He blinked with surprise when discovering that it was a letter – or perhaps more of a note – from Iruka.

As he read, he felt like someone had punched him.

'_Kakashi, I can't take this anymore. I'm sorry I'm doing this with a letter, but… I haven't even seen you in two days. I'm not even sure when's the last time you were really with me, body and soul. And I can't wait any longer, not even for the sake of her memory, because this is killing me. I'll be out of town for two days – I hope you'll pack you bags an leave in the meantime._

_You have no idea how badly I wish it hadn't come to this. Because I still love you._'

The longer he stared at those words, the more intense the emotions swirling inside him became, the more his eyes stung.

So much pain, almost desperation… All of it caused by Kakashi, this man who said he cared about him, who'd welcomed him – a crippled, messed up teenager – to his house without questions.

Had it all been out of guilt?

And then it all became too much for him to handle. Far more abruptly than should've been possible he rushed out of the house, to the porch. As soon as he'd reached his destination he screamed out loud, kept screaming when he didn't even have a breath anymore.

When he slumped down about a minute later, his cell phone bleeped in his pocket. Even without looking he knew it was a yet another message from Sai, asking him for a meeting. And suddenly he was feeling like a trapped animal.

Less than an hour earlier he'd been more lucid than ever in his life. And now… Now, he didn't know who the hell he could trust anymore – which of the two blurry paths before him was the correct one.

He brought his knees to his chest, buried his face to them.

He'd never missed Iruka as badly as he did right then.

* * *

TBC, no?

* * *

A/N: Oh dear… (winces) And there's even more mess. Will those two ever get any peace? (sniffs)

In the next one (if you're still curious to get to the second half of this story, of course): Naruto and Sasuke finally dare to take a step closer to each other, but not everyone is happy with it. Naruto also tries to overcome what he discovered about Kakashi. Another set of bad news flips things around.

Awkay, because I've REALLY gotta get going now… **PLEASE**, do leave a note to let me know what you thought about this chapter – you know it'd mean a lot to me! So pwease…?

Until next time – I really hope I'll see you all then!

Peace out!

* * *

**kai**: Poor things, ne? So many tragedies. (sniffs a bit) Let's hope Sasuke won't end up sinking even deeper than he has already. (gulps)

And Sai has some nerve to show up now, after abandoning Naruto! (growls) We'll see just what he's up to… (glances with suspicion)

Monumental thank yous for the review!

I really hope you'll join in for the rest as well.

-

**Aachen**: Awww, there's really been quite a bit of twists, ne? We'll see what's to come in the future… (sweatdrops)

Poor Naruto definitely has quite a bit of things to sort out, ne? (groans) And now he also needs to try and deal with both Sai AND Sasuke (as though one wouldn't be enough…). Some mess he's landed himself into!

Blind Sasuke giving Sai a booty? WOO-HOO! (pumps fist into the air with excitement)

Colossal thank yous for the review!

Goodness, how I hope you'll be just as excited about the rest.


	6. Of Leaps of Faith

A/N: (grins apologetically) Gah, I know it took slightly longer than usually. But… at least not weeks, or months. Heh, this chappy was no 'easy child' to be delivered, but I did it! (wipes forehead, grin widening)

But first off, of course… Enormous thank yous for all those heart-warming reviews you've sent me – gosh, there's so many of them! (HUGGLES) I hope you know just how happy you've managed to make me. Thank you! (sniffs a bit) **Responses to anonymous reviews** can, as per usual, be found from underneath the chappy. (grins)

Awkay, no more stalling! (rubs hands together) Let's get the story rolling, shall we. I REALLY hope ya'll like! (gulps nervously)

* * *

VERSE 6: Of Leaps of Faith

* * *

'_Here we are - we've just begun_'

* * *

**_Four Days Later_**

* * *

Naruto hadn't had exactly fantastic four days.

It wasn't enough that he and Sasuke were still standing on an extremely shaky ground while trying to sort out exactly where they were going. Sai was also driving him insane with constant attempts to contact him and reminding him of the bearable parts of his former life. Also, as determined as he usually was, he hadn't managed to talk things through with Kakashi, which resulted to a tension the man as expected couldn't understand. Whenever he tried to get the process of sorting things out started he remembered Iruka's desperate, heartbroken message and all words got stuck somewhere around his throat.

So, in other words, _everything_ was quite a mess. But fortunately he didn't have to go through everything alone anymore.

"So…" There was a look he couldn't quite read on Tsunade's face. "Have you talked to any of them, as you planned?"

He cast his eyes downwards, feeling somewhat embarrassed. "Well, technically…" He then took a deep breath, shaking his head slowly. His hand trembled ever so slightly while he ran it through his hair. "I… I just don't know where to start." He flapped his arms animatedly. "They all need answers, and my head's a mess!" He looked towards the woman with near-despair. "How am I supposed to know what to do?!"

Tsunade smiled, which wasn't something he'd seen often. "You've been through a lot and you're still young, Naruto. Don't be so hard on yourself." She handed a box of tissues towards him before he even realized that one tear had slipped through. "You have a firm sense of conscience, and a strong will. Listen to those, because I think that you already know the answers."

To his surprise he managed to smile freely, even if just a little bit. A one last sniff came while he took a tissue. "Thanks." For some reason it was easy to believe her.

He just really, really wished he'd known where to start…

There was a sound of something hard hitting the room's window that made him jump. Once upon a time Sai had always thrown rocks to his window, he mused sullenly.

/ _"You know… There's this party I'm going to take you."_ /

And at that second, as the icy shivers that memory left started to fade, he realized that he knew exactly what he should do next.

Tsunade smiled faintly, apparently sensing what was twirling inside his head. "So now you know, don't you?"

He shrugged somewhat sheepishly. "Honestly? I don't have a clue of what I'm doing."

* * *

Naruto's head was still a mess when he approach his new home about an hour later – and the turmoil didn't get any easier when he noticed Sai waiting for him, sitting on the house's doorsteps with a thoughtful expression.

Fighting back a groan, he stopped about five steps away from the boy. "Didn't I make myself clear enough?"

Sai's eyes were solemn. "You did. But there's something I want you to see before you make up your mind."

His eyes widened when he saw what the other pulled out. It was a copy of someone's criminal record, he could see clearly. "How the hell did you get that?"

"From… a friend." Sai held out the paper for him. "Just read it."

He didn't have the slightest clue why he obeyed, but before he knew it he'd already taken the document. What he found brought a sickening feeling into the pit of his stomach, and he found himself trembling slightly.

_Uchiha Sasuke_, was written to the top.

Possession of drugs… Thefts and other violations…

Although he'd seen the state Sasuke was in he just couldn't associate this obviously very _ill_ person to the one he'd met, to the one he'd learned to…

He could tell his eyes flashed as he looked at his ex-boyfriend. "Why should I give a damn about any of this?" Though, as much as he hated it, a tiny part of him was almost terrified, hesitant. He'd been too messed up to begin with to be able to deal with something like this.

"He's going to hurt you, Naruto." Sai's eyes were cold and hard, and if they'd been anyone else's he would've said they carried genuine worry. "He's not someone you can save. He's not strong and stable enough to fight his past. He'll crack – I've seen it happen. Don't let him put you through that pain."

His shoulders slumped as he felt very exhausted all of a sudden. "Just leave, okay?"

Sai nodded and got up. "Just remember, Naruto. His kind destroy gentle, weaker people like you if you let him too close. We both know that." The boy then started to walk away. "You know where to find me."

He didn't have the energy for another word.

He didn't know how long he'd been standing there until he felt that he wasn't alone anymore. Looking over his shoulder, he gulped laboriously when finding Kakashi standing by the doorway. It was easy to tell that the man had heard _everything_.

He opened his mouth, but in the end couldn't make a sound.

Kakashi's eyes were somewhat dark. "I was hoping that Sasuke would eventually trust you enough to tell you, but it looks like I can't wait any longer." The man gestured him to follow. "Come inside, and we'll have a talk."

He still hadn't figured out how to feel about the bits of Iruka and Kakashi's past he'd found out, but he was curious. This might be his last chance to find out what Sasuke had been through – he couldn't let that go to waste.

Kakashi didn't speak another word until they were sitting in the living room, and even then the silver-haired hesitated. "I… adopted Sasuke two years ago, when he was just turning thirteen. The first time we met was when he was eleven, and as I told you he tried to rob me. For the second time I found him six months later – he was locked up to a closed unit of a hospital."

His eyes widened. _Uh-huh…_ He could only imagine what a place like that would do to someone like Sasuke. "Why… was he there?" After thinking about it he added rather sharply. "And I want honest answers, okay?"

Kakashi sighed heavily, looking out the nearby window. "Itachi, his brother… got into a accident when he was ten. Their parents had died a couple of years earlier and they didn't have any family. Apparently a gang became Sasuke's new 'family'. By the age of twelve he was addicted to drugs and alcohol, anorexic, suicidal and violent. The officials didn't know what else to do with him, so they locked him away and pumped him full of medication." The man paused for a moment. "I had to get him out of that place before it would've killed him, so I adopted him and took him here, away from that life. He finally agreed to leave when Itachi was transported here as well."

He swallowed hard, not having the slightest clue what to say. Gosh, he could imagine an eleven-years-old Sasuke – utterly lost, angry and all alone. In the end he uttered the only thing he could think of. "He's… not okay yet, is he?"

"No." Kakashi sounded much calmer already. "He isn't. But… When I watch him with you, I can imagine that he could be one day – that you could both be." The man's eyes examined him. "Do you want to try, or do you rather believe Sai?"

For the briefest of seconds he hesitated, but then he remembered something Iruka had once said to him, when he'd been struggling to try and walk properly.

* * *

/ _"I know you can do it Naruto."_

_  
He pouted, almost in tears. "No, I can't!"_

_He'd never forget the way Iruka knelt to his side and laid a hand to his shoulder, nor could he forget the words. "Of course you can. Because I can see the determination in your eyes." The man smiled. "And such determination does miracles."_ /

* * *

He'd been judged painfully brutally all his life. He wasn't about to make the same mistake.

He nodded slightly more eagerly than he'd indented, meeting the man's eyes. "Yeah. I want to try." There was no doubt. He then bit his lip, feeling mildly embarrassed all of a sudden. "I just… don't know where to start."

For the first time since Iruka's death, Kakashi's tiny smile held no sadness. "Well, I have one idea. Why don't you come with me? There's somewhere I should be in five minutes, and I think you should be there as well."

* * *

Sasuke had never particularly enjoyed going to school. He did well on several subjects, but otherwise…

He didn't approach any of the other students willingly – he could hear teachers whisper worriedly about that, and he was sick of their attempts to pair him up with the others, especially with girls. He also didn't like the school building that much. It carried a thick and stuffy stench of an old building, and for a school meant for 'challenged'– especially blind – teens it was hopelessly complicated. Especially now that his class had been forced to move into a different classroom he couldn't find _anything_ anymore. For someone as independent and proud as he, it was infuriating to depend on someone to show him around all the time. The fact that there were far too many people around to his liking did nothing to ease his mind.

That afternoon, he was feeling particularly grumpy while sitting on a bench to which a sickeningly sweet teacher had guided him and waiting for Kakashi to show up.

He _hated_ foreign places, and he couldn't remember this hallway.

He just wanted to get out, to go home. Was that asking too much?

All of a sudden every single one of his muscles tensed up as he felt a presence. His fists balled while a sour taste appeared to his mouth. The arrival wasn't Kakashi.

-

While they'd been driving towards the school, and even when he'd asked Kakashi to wait in the car so he and Sasuke could talk, Naruto had been wondering if he was making a huge mistake. But as he saw Sasuke sitting there, looking lost and anxious, all doubt disappeared. Well, disappeared at least until the boy seemed to sense his presence.

Because suddenly he didn't have the slightest clue what to do. But nonetheless he moved.

Sasuke tensed up immediately as though he'd been shot.

"It's just me", he explained quickly, not sure what Sasuke would do if he didn't speak soon enough.

The Uchiha relaxed, though only just slightly, then got up stiffly and walked unsteadily to him. Unseeing eyes tried to look his way. "What are you doing here?"

"I…" He swallowed thickly, suddenly very unsure as to what he wanted to say. "I just want to sort things out, okay? That's why I came."

Sasuke nodded slowly, quite surprisingly not making a move to escape or lash out.

Realizing that he wouldn't get another chance if he'd ruin this one, he licked his lips, took a deep breath and spoke. "I… don't want to rush things, okay? And I don't want to push you. But… I want to give it a try."

Sasuke frowned. "Give what a try?"

Deciding that it was a high time to make things clear, he leaned forward and pressed his lips gently to Sasuke's. The kiss was light, almost cautious, but he hoped it was nonetheless enough.

As he glanced towards Sasuke's face, he saw a hint of understanding and something else. It took several moments before the boy spoke. "You don't even know me."

He shrugged, although it couldn't be seen. "I know enough."

A look of something close to exasperation appeared to Sasuke's face as something was obviously about to break loose. But in the end the barrier came back up, and the Uchiha seemed to take a step backwards. "Hn." The boy attempted to look towards him, he could tell. "What about Sai?"

It wasn't until at that moment he realized that he hadn't explained everything yet. After wondering how to set his words for a moment he started. "Sai's… a _ex_, okay? An ex who hurt me, badly. Now he's nothing but a bad memory."

Sasuke nodded slowly, obviously wondering if his words could be trusted. It was around then he noticed how badly the Uchiha trembled every time someone passed by, due to the narrow hallways and varying disabilities bumping to the raven.

Making up his mind, he took Sasuke's hand – firmly, yet careful not to bring pain. "Follow me, will you?" Seeing a flash of disapproval and mistrust on the other's face, he fought back a groan. "Let someone lead you on for once, okay? Let me help you."

It took several almost endless seconds, but eventually Sasuke's hand tightened barely traceably around his as a silent sign of approval. A wide grin finding its way to his face, he started to lead the boy on, carefully avoiding all obstacles and finding his way through the maze of hallways. (In his mind, he wondered why in the world a school that taught blind students was that big and confusing.)

As soon as they got out, he realized that Sasuke was trembling. When he looked to the raven's face, he found some drops of cold sweat along with tightness and exhaustion. He blinked thrice. "You're… not a huge fan of crowds, are you?"

Sasuke seemed to hold back a wince. "Let's just go."

But he wasn't ready to leave just yet. Sasuke shuddered slightly but didn't pull away when he pressed a light, tender kiss to the boy's cheek.

_It's okay. I'm here for you – I care about you_, the gesture whispered. And he hoped from the bottom of his heart that for once, Sasuke listened.

It seemed the boy did, because he could've sworn the Uchiha leaned closer.

It took another ten minutes before they made it to the car where Kakashi was waiting. The man quirked an eyebrow at them. "Now what took you so long?"

He gave the man a somewhat moody look, although his blood was on fire and something sizzling traveled through his veins. "Let's just go. I don't think either one of us wants any more excitement today."

-

As Kakashi glanced towards the boys through a rearview mirror five minutes later, he couldn't help smiling slightly when noticing that they were both already asleep. Their hands were still intertwined, and Sasuke's head had fallen to rest on Naruto's shoulder.

It was the first time he could imagine that the three of them might just make it.

That day he took the long way home.

* * *

That night, Sasuke's unseeing eyes blazed with determination as he entered a house that held far too many unpleasant memories.

"Well how about this." Kabuto sounded genuinely surprised. The hand on his cheek made him shudder with abhorrence. "I wasn't expecting you tonight."

Never having been one to circle around, he decided to jump straight to the business. "I came to finish this."

For several seconds Kabuto was utterly silent. When the older male spoke once more, the voice shook with rage. "Have you forgotten our deal? Withdrawal isn't for you to decide."

He grit his teeth. "Yes, it is." He swallowed hard as a bitter taste rose into his throat. "I'm sick of punishing myself, and I'm sick of having you in my nightmares." He took a deep breath. "This has been going on long enough – I'm going." _While there's still a shred left of my sanity._

"What about your family?" Kabuto's voice was eerily calm. "Itachi, Kakashi, Naruto… Are you telling me that you don't care about them anymore?"

He was sure his eyes flashed. "I care about them enough to stop doing this. And if you harm any of them…" He balled his fists. "I'll send you straight after Orochimaru." With those words he left the house, feeling light-headed.

Perhaps he should've known that escaping from hell didn't happen that easily.

He couldn't see the sinister, lust- and frustration filled eyes that followed him as he went.

* * *

**_One Week Later_**

* * *

Cold shivers ran through Sai's whole being as he knocked on a certain door early in the morning, wondering if he was completely out of his mind.

Perhaps he should've known better than to accept the offer when Kabuto had asked him for a meeting, but… If this would lead to a chance to make things right with Naruto, then he was willing to take the chance.

Kabuto's eyes were unreadable as the male opened the door. "You're early."

Paying no heed to those words, he spoke. "I agree with you. We should talk."

As Kabuto allowed him to enter and he obeyed, he felt like stepping into a devil's den.

* * *

The progress after Naruto and Sasuke's encounter in the school was slow, but apparent nonetheless.

There still wasn't much kissing – mostly just brief touches here and there – but somehow Naruto felt that he was closer to Sasuke than he'd ever been to anyone. He was also overjoyed by how the Uchiha seemed to start and relax around him, little by little. There was trust he'd never dared to hope to see between them. And while he stopped having nightmares of Iruka, Sasuke actually showed up to eat at the same table as he and Kakashi. The raven didn't eat much, but at least the boy's cheeks started to get some healthy color. It was good to see that Sasuke didn't look like a ghost anymore.

There was, however, still sneaking out and disappearances. Though these days Sasuke was fairly easy to find, because he spent great deals of his days in a certain place.

He shivered a little at the stench of hospital that hit him across the face the second he entered the huge building. It didn't take all that long to find the ward in which Itachi was treated – and to where Sasuke sneaked whenever he got the chance. Just like he'd expected, the raven was sitting by Itachi's bedside with his back to him, holding the older male's hand so that his knuckles had turned white. He couldn't hear any words through the glass that separated them, and figured that Sasuke had once again settled with silence.

His heart clenched a bit in his chest, almost making him wince.

Yes, Itachi was still hanging on – by a thin thread, but still. He'd heard the doctors murmuring that the older Uchiha's body was giving in, and they couldn't do much to help because of the young man's overall horrible state. And now they whispered that it was only a question of days, before…

He wondered if Sasuke knew those facts as well.

He remained still for a long moment, somewhere deep down fearing he was intruding, then knocked softly on the glass. He immediately regretted his actions when Sasuke tensed up, obviously startled although the boy would never admit it.

"It's me", he called out, just loudly enough to be heard through the glass.

After brushing Itachi's hand once more – most likely without noticing it – Sasuke got up slowly, then left the room. He didn't feel like pointing out that the boy had forgotten to take off the protective clothes anyone going to see Itachi was forced to wear while the raven stood before him, appearing utterly exhausted.

He smiled faintly, although it couldn't be seen, and in the spur of the moment kissed the Uchiha's nose. "I should've known you're here", he murmured, holding the other boy close. "It's good to be able to find you these days, you know?"

-

Sasuke had never really liked physical contact, let alone all the mushy stuff close relationships included. That's why he was almost troubled by how his body reacted to Naruto's presence, how he found himself leaning against the other's warmth.

What the hell was Naruto doing to him?

Quite rapidly, however, he shook questions away.

He was exhausted. He'd do all the thinking later.

Just then his stomach growled loudly. Something close to pleasure crossed him when Naruto brushed it gently. "You do know that you haven't eaten anything all day, right? Let me take you to the cafeteria. They should have at least sandwiches or something."

He was just about to open his mouth for an answer when things started to happen much too fast. A flash he couldn't recognize struck through him, almost sending him to his knees and making him gasp once.

Naruto's arms immediately held on. "Sasuke, what's wrong?"

Just then a shrill sound he recognized much too well erupted from Itachi's room. And everything stopped for an icy, fleeting second.

Then people appeared – at least five running steps stormed into Itachi's room, and commands he just couldn't understand were barked as the people started to work furiously to save his brother's life. He tried to dash into the room as well, but just then another loud group showed up, blocking his path.

"You'd only be in the way", someone tried to explain while placing a hand to his chest that made him shiver. He didn't want these people touching and stopping him, damn it!

"Let them do their job!"

Just then came a voice that made absolutely everything else fade away. "There's nothing you can do now."

At that moment he couldn't hold himself back for another second. Giving a barely human howl of pain and utter, mind numbing rage he attacked the direction of Kabuto's voice. He didn't bother even remembering that he might hurt innocent people in the process, that he might even hurt himself – all that mattered was to cause as much pain as possible.

"You fucking asshole!" he screamed while charging forth. "You did this to him!"

Arms tried to grab him, but he didn't even notice them.

He was so close to Kabuto that he could feel the warmth as he kept screaming. "You did this, you fucking did this! I'm going to kill you for this!"

People around him screamed as well, and several pairs of arms tried to stop him, but adrenaline – caused by wrath and terror that surged through him when he couldn't see what was going on – was too strong. He hit once, twice, thrice, again and again until he felt warm blood on his fingers and heard something fracture. There was a silent moan of pain and a thud that sent chilling shivers of pleasure through him.

"Sasuke, stop it!" a voice he could barely recognize as Naruto's shouted, shuddering with something he couldn't identify.

"Give him some sedative, damn it! He's gonna kill that kid and himself!"

He screamed – this time with fright he would've rather not confessed feeling – when two, perhaps even three pairs of arms grabbed him so hard that it _hurt_. He drew in a painful, tight gasp and attempted to fight back with his all when something sharp hit his neck, sinking much too deep to his liking.

What the hell was gong on?! Where was Kabuto? What were these people doing to him?

"Sasuke, relax!" That voice… Was it Naruto's? His struggling ceased for a while as he paused to listen. "Sasuke, calm down! These… These people are trying to help you, okay? Calm down – let them help you!"

His mind growing foggy, he fell backwards with a sound that could've been a moan or a sigh.

Just then he felt a presence that made him shiver with revulsion. He'd never felt as disgusted as he did when the voice whispered to his ear. "A life for a life, Sasuke-kun." Kabuto's whisper was sickeningly sweet, and reeked of blood. "You can call us even now. Though, I'm not quite finished with you yet…"

Hard as he tried, he couldn't fight any longer. The hold the people around him and medication had was too strong.

He was fairly sure people were talking, even shouting, and that there must've been about a dozen other noises. Yet he heard none of them – his world became an utterly silent, cold hole of emptiness.

Everything disappeared, and he welcomed such a change gladly.

"Sasuke?" The voice sneaked into his mind slowly, making him groan faintly. "Sasuke, wake up, will you?"

He felt a hand in his, and although a part of him argued against it he squeezed and breathed out hoarsely. His tongue felt thick and clumsy. "…'tachi?"

There was a long silence while the hand in his held on tighter, as though fearing he'd slip away. There would've been no need for such, he mused sullenly; he doubted he could've even moved if he'd tried.

After a few moments of silence Naruto spoke again. "Are you feeling sick? Do you need to throw up again?"

He frowned. When had he thrown up? He, however, soon discovered what Naruto had been talking about. His stomach was squirming uncomfortably, or that's what it felt like, and there was a horrendous taste in his mouth. But… No, he didn't feel sick anymore, not really. Just utterly exhausted – and confused.

Was he… in a bed?

He licked his lips, his whole mouth feeling unbearably dry. "Itachi… How…?"

Naruto was silent – too silent. The unfamiliar room's heavy air seemed to be crushing his much too tight lungs, and he hoped from the bottom of his heart that there would've been something – anything – familiar he could've grasped on to.

And then the other boy spoke, taking the bottom from his world. "Sasuke…" There was a gulp so loud that he heard it. "I'm sorry."

He didn't even hear what Naruto said next, because all reason disappeared.

-

Kakashi, who'd been standing in the hallway, squeezed his eyes tightly shut and brought an exhausted hand to his face when a nearly animalistic screech erupted from the room. He didn't even notice how two nurses and a doctor rushed in some moments later.

Everything was in pieces once again. And he had no idea where to start the work of making things right this time.

* * *

TBC

* * *

(In case you're wondering how Sasuke was able to cause havoc like that in the hospital… Trust me, it's possible! In my school, we practiced controlling a violent person without bringing pain. I'm about five foot tall – yeah, a shrimp – had no adrenaline in my system, and it took five people to hold me down, including two of the strongest guys in my class. I was wiggling against them all, laughing my ass out while they were sweating, and almost managed to break free!) (smirks) (Made it through without any scrapes and bruises, too.)

* * *

A/N: (sniffs) Those poor, poor things! Straight to another disaster, ne? And you thought I was mean when Iruka died! (sniffs again)

Awkay, because my time on a computer is running short I've gotta start tuning out now. But first, **PLEASE** do review! It'd really mean the world to me, you know? (glances hopefully, and shows some bribe-treats)

In the next one: The ground shakes while our party of three tries desperately to cope. Naruto starts to gain Sasuke's trust during the darkest of hours – but Sai interferes…

Until next time, folks – I REALLY hope I'll c ya all then!

Take care!

* * *

**mamo-san**: Awww, I can't even describe how happy I am to hear that! I'm somewhat self-conscious when it comes to my writing style, so you gave me a huge relief. (hugs)

Monumental thank yous for the review!

I really hope you'll enjoy the next one as well.

-

**Silver**: Technology's a pain sometimes, ne? (winces) But I'm glad you reviewed anyway! (beams)

Gosh, you've liked this one THAT much – and enjoyed some of my other stories, too?! (grins WIDELY with utter joy, then blushes and HUGS) You can't even imagine how thrilled you just made me – thank you so much!

Mega-sized thank yous for the absolutely incredible review!

Goodness, how I hope you'll enjoy the rest as much.

-

**Aachen**: How I come up with those problems? (chuckles) Honest answer? Even I have no idea!

(chuckles) I LOVED reading your comments to the characters! Can I sign them as well, because I totally agree with you?

And yes, I agree with your additional review as well; it'd be just too heartbreaking if Naruto would be a dobe enough to actually go to someone like Sai! Just imagine what it'd do to Sasuke! (And how unhappy Naruto would become, of course.)

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the review!

I really hope I'll keep seeing you around.

-

**muninshollow**: Hearing that makes me happier than you could ever imagine! (grins like a madwoman)

Colossal thank yous for the review!

I truly hope you'll like the rest as much.

-

**kai**: Sai's a real ***, coming to harass Naruto like that just when the poor thing's at his most vulnerable, ne? (hisses) And Kabuto…! (growls this time) Let's hope they'll get what they deserve in the end. (nods to oneself)

I couldn't agree more; if you really care for someone, you don't just ignore and abandon them like that when things turn sour! Poor Naruto and Sasuke, and Itachi, too… (shivers) And just what's Kakashi hiding, and thinking that it won't get out and affect Naruto!

Super-sized thank yous for the review!

See you next time, I hope.


	7. Of the Most Painful Tales

A/N: Surprise – it's update time! (grins)

First of all, I'm so sorry about this delay – though I'm somewhat happy to announce that for once it honestly wasn't my fault! To those who didn't read my already deleted AN, my computer crashed, taking all my programs and several files along. I didn't have access to a computer for about five days, which was seriously no fun. (winces) BUT, yesterday I managed to download a free tryout-version of Word, so I'm finally back on track. (grins)

BUT, before letting you get to the chapter…. Thank you from the depths of my soul for those AMAZING reviews – gosh, they're so many! (sniffs, and HUGGLES) You guys truly ROCK, you do know that, right? (sniffs again) As usual, **responses to anonymous reviews** can be found from underneath the chappy.

Awkay, because you've already been waiting too long… Let's roll! I really hope this doesn't stink. (gulps nervously)

* * *

VERSE 7: Of the Most Painful Tales

* * *

'_Here I am - next to you_'

* * *

_Six Days Later_

* * *

There were many occasions in his life when Sasuke had been almost sure that time had stopped moving completely. But never had seconds stood still like they did as he stood in the room he – even without eyesight – knew to be pitch-black.

It was utterly silent while he remained absolutely still for the longest time, as though waiting for something – anything – barely even daring to breathe.

And then, out of nowhere, he finally gained the strength moving forward required. His steps were uncharacteristically feeble and shuddering while he took the five steps that felt like a million to him, then slumped down with a sigh of exhaustion.

"I'm… sorry it took me this long to come, that you've been alone. I just…" His voice didn't sound like his, and his head started to hurt so badly that he could barely think. He went on anyhow, like hoping his words would awaken the person he knew to be sleeping in front of him. He cast away all his pride before uttering what was on his tongue. "And… I wish you were here. I wish…" And at that moment his cowardly tongue failed him completely.

One of his hands grabbed Itachi's and squeezed with what can only be called despair, while the other was brought to his face in attempt to hide what he didn't want his brother to see, especially now. Both hands – his whole body – started to tremble violently in the echoes of what he'd thought was already in the past. While his lips quivered as well, unable to produce a thing, his mind was screaming while his headache from before escalated.

_I miss you._

_I'm so sorry._

Of course no one heard his soundless confessions. And the only one who could've soothed his racing heart couldn't even return his pathetic squeeze.

-

Naruto was fairly sure that he'd been sitting in the very creepy, cold hallway outside the morgue for what was close to a decade. The fact that Kakashi was sitting right next to him didn't make things any easier.

He wished he could've forced himself to think about anything else than what was going on inside the room before him, but his mind was firmly stuck on very unpleasant images.

Sasuke had been discharged from the psychiatric ward only a day earlier. What if…?

"I'm going to get some coffee." Kakashi's voice startled him so badly that he almost fell from his chair. The man seemed to be preparing to walk away with a somewhat anxious expression. "This may take a while. Do you need anything?"

And all of a sudden something – frustration because of Sasuke, perhaps – gave him the thrust he'd been waiting to get for days. His mouth worked without his commands. "I know, okay?" Seeing the man's obvious confusion only pushed him forth. "About you and Iruka – I know. So you can stop treating me like a kid, okay?"

-

For a couple of moments Kakashi could only stare at Naruto. All of a sudden those blue eyes, which had been so very lost and confused during the boy's first days in England, carried so much that it almost took his breath away. And very slowly he came to an understanding.

Naruto… had also loved Iruka very much – the brunet was the only father that boy, who'd been through too much, would ever know. Their relationships with the teacher had been very different, but they nonetheless grieved just as much. The wounds were still fresh and tender.

"I'm sorry." He was mildly surprised by how those words came before his thought. Meeting the blond's expression, which clearly said that words weren't enough, he took a deep breath and all but slumped to the chair next to the teen's. "I know you've been through a lot already. I should've been honest."

Naruto was silent for a long moment. "Yeah, you should've."

They sat in silence like two lonely ghosts for a while, fitting amusingly well to the morgue, before he finally managed to summon the will to speak. He couldn't look at the blond; retelling the story was excruciating, and even one glance towards the teen might've broken his will. "You're right. We were a couple, once upon a time." A tiny, sad and slightly lost smile rose to his face as he lingered in those days. "We were happy although Konoha was against us, and we loved each other." Too much so to be put into words. "We… even adopted a little boy named Kimimaro. But…"

As his voice faltered, Naruto waited for a couple of beats before all but whispering. "What happened?"

He squeezed his eyes tightly shut, remembering those long four years far better than he would've liked. "Kimimaro… Although he was very sick from the beginning we tried to live normally and give him the best possible life. But… We couldn't stop fate from doing its work." He swallowed thickly, almost sure he'd throw up. "He died at home, sleeping in Iruka's arms." He fought the urge to laugh bitterly. "And I… I couldn't go home from work, because I knew what was going on." He took a deep breath that didn't ease the stinging of his lungs. "I visited home the next morning. Kimimaro… His body had been taken away. Iruka was in our bedroom; I could tell he was crying although the door was closed. I didn't go in. That day I moved out to live with friends. I couldn't go home anymore." He sighed a little. "Things… weren't the same since then. All the while Iruka waited for me to finally remember him and to grieve with him, but I couldn't even face him. We became strangers. And… in the end we decided to have a break." He ran a hand through his hair, the memory making him feel sick. "That night… I slept with my childhood friend, who'd come to comfort me. Neither of us barely remembered a thing the next morning, and for a while it was all forgotten like a nightmare. Two weeks later Iruka decided to give me a second chance. But things didn't work anymore – he couldn't trust me." He shivered a little. "Three more weeks later Shizune told me she was pregnant. Not much later I left Konoha." He left out the most painful parts with tears and unsaid words, those six months that'd been utter pain for him, and especially Iruka.

Naruto was silent for so long that he had to glance to side to make sure the boy was still there. The blond looked uncharacteristically pale and still. It took several moments before there was a verbal reaction. "I… didn't even know you were together." The boy mused for a moment before going on. "I… remember it now. You visited, once. I think Iruka cried afterwards."

A stab of pain he could barely take forced him to look towards the floor, and it took his all not to wince. "I'm sorry", he murmured although the one who should've heard those words couldn't hear. "I… hurt him, a lot."

"You're not the only one." Naruto's words surprised him so badly that he looked towards the boy. The blond seemed ready to burst into tears. "The day I left to England… I was so mad at him – it felt like he'd abandoned me, too. I couldn't believe he was sending me away." Two tears the Uzumaki wiped away quickly appeared. "I… I never said I hated him, but… I can tell that's how he felt." More tears came as the boy looked at him with sad eyes that almost broke his heart. "I didn't even wave him goodbye." The blond sniffed and looked away. "So… If you have regrets, I know how you feel."

For a couple of moments Kakashi simply looked at the boy before him, trying to imagine just how much the teen – still a child – was trying to carry on his shoulders.

Then, without giving it a second thought, he wrapped his arms tenderly around Naruto, pulling the slowly calming down teen closer. It took several moments before he managed to speak. "Iruka… was always good at seeing into people's hearts, Naruto." His voice was far softer than it should've been, but at the moment that didn't matter. "I'm sure he knows how much you loved him."

Naruto tried to speak, he could tell, but in the end nothing came. Instead the boy returned his hug as tightly as possible, cling to him with what felt like all the teen's might.

They must've been there for at least ten minutes until Naruto started to move, wiping his eyes swiftly. "I… should go and see how Sasuke's doing. He's been inside for ages."

He nodded, too exhausted for any words. Surprising even himself, he managed to smile a little as he watched the boy go, eventually entering the morgue without fear or hesitation.

_It's easy to tell you've raised him, Iruka_, he mused. And surprisingly, the thought wasn't entirely sad.

-

What Naruto faced when entering almost made him back down.

There, sitting by – or perhaps more hovering protectively above – his brother's body was Sasuke, trembling so badly that the boy barely stayed on his seat. It was easy to tell the Uchiha hadn't even noticed his presence; all that fit into the raven's world at the moment was Itachi.

He bit his lip hard while taking one cautious step forward, then another.

He was still young, damn it, and he'd never faced anything like this before. What the heck was he supposed to do?!

Then, just like so many times before with Sasuke, the answer came out of the blue.

Without waiting for permission or making much of a sound he walked up to the Uchiha and wrapped his arms around the raven, as though hoping he could soothe whatever the other was fighting with a simple touch.

At first Sasuke's whole body turned stiffer than any string, and he was fairly sure he heard a faint gasp. Then, very slowly, the boy started to relax against him, obviously beginning to trust. "I don't want you to see this, Naruto", the raven stated in a voice he couldn't recognize.

He shook his head, instead of letting go holding on tighter, with all his determination. "I'm not leaving you alone", he murmured, placing his chin to rest on the other's head as the body in his arms kept shivering violently. He opened his mouth, but in the end decided that nothing else was needed.

As expected Sasuke also remained perfectly silent, lost into a world he couldn't get into. And so they sat in silence, neither knowing exactly how to go on from there, both too exhausted to pay any mind to pride.

All of a sudden, when they'd been sitting there for what must've been close to an hour, Sasuke's trembling changed. And then came the sounds, so quiet he barely caught them.

He swallowed thickly, not entirely sure how to react to this situation. "Sasuke...?"

"Shut up", came in an instant, most likely far more softly than the Uchiha had been planning.

Obeying to spare what was left of the raven's dignity, he only kept holding on, listening helplessly as the heart-wrenching sounds continued.

And somehow it felt like that was all he needed to do.

-

Outside, Kakashi was so deep in thought that he shuddered just a little when Tsunade spoke. "Hey." Looking up, he met a pair of unusually soft eyes. "I thought I should come and see how you're all doing – I heard they're giving away Itachi's body today."

He nodded, half-subconsciously glancing towards the closed door before him. "Naruto and I… are getting better, I think. But Sasuke…" He sighed somewhat heavily, feeling old and tired all of a sudden. "I have no idea how he'll make it through this, let alone tomorrow."

Tsunade remained silent for a couple of moments, as though pondering. "You know… I think he's a lot tougher than you seem to think. He has you two on his side now, and I have a feeling that he realizes it now. Finally he has love – maybe that's enough."

He blinked once, twice, thrice. He hoped dearly she was right.

"Oh, and Kakashi?" There was a surprisingly soft expression on Tsunade's face as he turned his gaze towards her. "Sasuke's blood was clean - he hasn't taken anything for a long time."

For the longest moment he remained absolutely still, working with his all to understand what she'd just said. Then, very slowly, something that felt like a tiny, tired smile of relief appeared to his face as he nodded.

"You're doing a good job with him – with them both." Tsunade's eyes told that she meant those words from the bottom of her heart.

He opened his mouth to speak, but before any words came they heard steps. Turning their heads, they found Naruto approaching with Sasuke, who seemed ready to pass out.

For a long, stretched moment it was utterly silent until Sasuke finally spoke. "Let's just go home, okay?"

* * *

/ _Five-years-old Naruto was much too young to see and understand the danger when four older kids encircled the swing he was sitting in on the playground. He was a little wary, but smiled anyhow when looking up at them. "Hey. Do you want to play with me?"_

_The narrowed eyes directed towards him spoke far more harshly than any words. Although the hit was directed to his face, the first punch made him feel like his heart had been ripped out. He gave a small scream of pain and startle when falling from the swing, hurting his already pained back as he hit the hard ground. "Get the hell out of our park, you freak."_

_The following hits were even harsher, and no matter how hard he tried to stop it he started to cry as the taste of blood filled his mouth._

_That night he fell asleep all alone in his tiny, dark room in the orphanage. No one was there to answer him when he muttered "Why?"several times through his sobs._

_It was the first and only night when he fell asleep crying. As from then he knew how to fake so well that no one saw the tears he swallowed up._ /

* * *

He gasped loudly when waking up and brought a hand to his chest, his eyes wide and wild.

"Naruto?" Sasuke's voice was tired, barely coherent. It wasn't until the boy's hand moved on his cheek he realized what'd pulled him away from those nightmares. The raven was frowning while looking at him with sleepy, half lidded eyes. "What's wrong?"

Quite slowly he remembered that he was in Sasuke's bed, to which he'd crawled after giving the boy several sleeping pills. They'd fallen asleep to each other's warmth.

And suddenly, as he looked at Sasuke, the memories of the nightmare faded away. A tiny smile made its way to his lips. "It was just a stupid bad dream, that's all." In the spur of the moment he kissed the other boy's forehead. "Just go to sleep. I'm okay."

Sasuke nodded slowly, obviously too tired to start out a fight of any sort. Despite the dream he'd just had he smiled again when the boy – most likely subconsciously – snuggled close to his warmth, falling asleep almost instantly.

As he started to stroke Sasuke's hair with slow, calm movements, he realized just how far he was from those nightmarish days. He felt safe, and suddenly it didn't matter the slightest what the next day would bring.

He gave Sasuke's cheek a tender kiss, then fell asleep with his arms wrapped securely around the raven. He didn't have any more nightmares after that.

* * *

Before Itachi's memorial service started, Naruto had feared that the flood of memories of Iruka's funeral would strike him completely unable to operate. Fortunately nothing such happened, although some memories hurt much more than he would've been willing to face as he sat in a tiny chapel where only he, Sasuke and Kakashi were present. The worst part was watching Sasuke, knowing how pathetically little there was he could do for the raven.

Sasuke didn't cry, of course – the Uchiha's pride would've never allowed anything such. But the pain he saw on the boy's face spoke far louder than any words as they listened to the visibly sad priest's words that were supposed to chase away the sadness.

He followed without saying a word – preparing himself for absolutely anything – as Sasuke got up to surprisingly unsteady feet, slowly making his way to the open casket where Itachi lay, looking chillingly lot like a sleeping person. A huge lump appeared to his throat as he watched how Sasuke's hands moved on his brother's face atypically gently, clearly attempting to imprint every little detail.

It _hurt_ to feel how desperately Sasuke would've wanted to see his brother's face – for at least this once, for this final time, before the goodbye.

Finally, after about ten minutes, Sasuke's head fell in what looked like defeat. If he'd been able to read lips, he might've known what the Uchiha's final words to his brother were – but then again, perhaps he didn't even want to know.

He woke up from his stupor-like state when Sasuke's knees buckled all of a sudden. He made it right on time to catch the raven before the boy would've fallen to the floor, and shivered a little at how tightly the younger Uchiha held on to him.

Quite absently he noticed how Kakashi exchanged some words with the priest, and the other man nodded before joining the few people who'd come to take Itachi's body away – to be cremated, as the older Uchiha had once wished. He nearly winced when watching how Sasuke's hand lingered on Itachi's for a long moment, giving the final goodbye, before the older was carried away. While Sasuke sunk back into stillness, he glanced towards Kakashi and they shared a quick, small nod.

It was for the best if he'd take care of this alone.

As Kakashi left, they were all alone in the eerily quiet room.

It took a long moment before he managed to speak. "Sasuke?"

Sasuke remained completely unresponsive. He waited surprisingly patiently for the long twenty minutes it took before what was nothing more than a whisper came. "I need to get to the police station." There was a breathtaking amount of determination on the raven's much too pale face. "There's… There's something I have to do."

His mouth opened, but in the end the curiosity faded as he realized that he'd never get any answers, anyway. In some other situation he might've noticed how stunningly eagerly Sasuke leaned to his support as they left without saying a word.

* * *

It took longer than it should've to find the station, and the journey felt even longer with Naruto trying to find out what Sasuke was about to do, and the Uchiha growing frustrated under his interrogation. Things didn't get any more comfortable when Naruto found Sai waiting for them. Without noticing it he groaned out loud.

_Oh, great…_

"Naruto?" Sasuke asked in a somewhat demanding tone.

His eyes narrowed as he looked at Sai, who dared to approach. "Sai, what the heck is this? Have you been following me?"

"I want to talk to you." The boy glanced meaningfully towards Sasuke, obviously not realizing that the boy couldn't even see. "Alone."In some other situation he might've noticed how Sasuke stiffened when recognizing Sai's voice. At the moment, however, all he could focus on was getting the Uchiha away from witnessing the without a doubt uncomfortable situation about to unfold. The raven had been through more than enough – he didn't need to listen to him and Sai sorting things out, or face Sai's harsh words, especially today. "It's okay." He squeezed Sasuke's hand in what he hoped to be a reassuring manner. "I can take care of this. You can go."

Sasuke nodded stiffly, obviously far from trusting Sai, then walked away.

Silence lingered once the two of them were alone and they looked at each other, as though measuring up one another.

In the end it was Sai who spoke first. "I'm… not sure what I'm doing here." The boy shrugged. "I don't even know what I should say."  
Naruto's head whirred as he looked at the boy who'd once been his boyfriend – his best friend, his soul confidant. And suddenly he knew exactly what to say. "I forgive you, Sai – for the sake of my sanity. I can't carry those nightmares and that grudge along me forever."

Hope lit up in Sai's eyes, and for the briefest second he saw a faint glimmer of the person he'd once cared about. "Does that mean we're friends again?"

He shook his head. "No – it's gonna take a lot of time to get there, if we ever will. I'm not sure if I'll ever trust you enough to get there."  
Sai nodded, and despite everything it hurt a little to see the fresh hope die from the boy's eyes. "I… understand." Although the boy's tone and face told that he didn't.

As happened very often, right then Sai's presence became more than he could handle. Coming to a conclusion that whatever Sasuke had come to take care of would take a while, he turned sharply and started to walk away. "We'll talk again later, okay? Just… Wait until I'm ready." With those words he was gone, leaving Sai staring at his distancing back.

* * *

Although there wasn't a day when he would've regretted his choice of career, some days Ibiki most certainly hated being a policeman. The past few days had been amongst those.

His eyes were beyond solemn as he looked at the file before him.

It was clear that Itachi Uchiha had been murdered – substance that most definitely shouldn't have been there had been found from the young man's blood.

He winced when taking a sip of tea to discover it bitter.

He hated it when much too young people faced a fate like this.

He woke up from his thoughts when there was a brief, determined knock on the door of his office. He frowned at first – no one was supposed to come and see him now – then allowed curiosity to take over. "Yes?"

He'd known Itachi had a brother. It was easy to recognize the much too pale, thin boy who entered with a tight expression as Sasuke Uchiha. "There's something I need to tell you."

He quirked an eyebrow. Kabuto wasn't pressing charges of assault. So why had the boy come?

* * *

When Sasuke emerged from Ibiki's office after what felt like a decade, he felt ready to pass out and throw up.

Going through those memories he'd fought so long to forget had been even harder than he'd expected.

Then, as though things hadn't been messy enough, he heard the about last voice he would've wanted to. "Ah, there you finally are." Sai's voice carried a mocking side tone. "I was beginning to think they'd already arrested you."

He frowned, balling his fists out of reflex. "What are you doing here?" he growled.

"I'm here to protect Naruto from you – it's high time someone does. I'm here to make sure you won't harm him as well, because I know your little secret." Sai walked close without being invited – _too_ close. "You killed someone!" There was something between disgust and fear in the boy's voice. "You say it was out of self-defense, but that doesn't change the fact that you took someone's life. You killed Orochimaru!"

Sasuke found himself shivering. He'd been strained to the extreme for several days. Now, his limit had been crossed.

Much faster than Sai could've ever stopped him, his fist hit the boy's jaw, making the other fall down with a loud thud. The boy was, however, quick to respond. In a matter of seconds he was also down and there was a weight on him he knew to be Sai, and he realized that he'd been trapped against the floor. He was trapped, unable to see, and there was no telling what'd happen next. Those facts made wild terror rise inside him.

Sai's voice made cold shivers run down his spine as the boy leaned close. "Don't ever try to hurt me again, or the next time I'll crush your face – murderer."

Tears caused by fury and the darkest of memories weren't far while he struggled with his all, barely managing to breathe under the crushing, overpowering sense of being trapped. In the end he was feeling dizzy as he fought like a wild animal. "He'd already fucking raped me, and he was holding a knife on my throat! He was going to kill me!" he screamed like a wounded beast, completely oblivious to the people he knew to be standing in the sidelines. "That bastard would've killed me! So don't you dare treat me like I'd be some kind of a monster!"

At first Sai was completely silent for the longest time, most likely out of shock, until the boy hissed rather loudly. "Leave Naruto alone. Don't you think he's already been through enough hurt? Are you really going to force him into taking care of you for the rest of your damn life? Do you really want to confide him into watching how you self-destruct? It'd kill him – you can't do that to him!"

He growled loudly, those words stinging a lot worse than he would've liked to admit. "Let go of me."  
He felt how Sai's fist was raised against him – until Naruto's voice made them both freeze. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Faster than he could blink he'd been pulled up and against the blond's chest. A pair of arms was wrapped around him, one of them placed right above his racing heart.

"He's going to hurt you, Naruto." Sai's tone said everything necessary. "He's already hurt a lot of people – don't let him do the same thing to you."

"Just go", Naruto nearly pleaded in an exhausted voice, pulling him even closer. "I won't talk to you right now."

He felt Sai give him a nasty look before the boy turned around and left with sharp, loud steps.

As soon as the third boy was gone Naruto's hand appeared to stroke his hair, making him shiver. "Sasuke, what the heck is going on? What were you fighting about?"

He barely heard, because once again memories had taken a nearly suffocating grip of him.

Before Naruto could do a thing he'd doubled over and thrown up loudly to the station's floor, a single tear escaping through all his restraints.

No matter how little he liked the thought, and despite Naruto's soothing touches and words, he couldn't help wondering if Sai had been right, after all.

The world had never been colder than it was when they started a silent walk home, and he hoped from the bottom of his heart that Itachi had been there with him.

* * *

That day it took some heavy medication from Tsunade to calm Sasuke down. During the next couple of days Naruto and Kakashi didn't dare to leave him alone.

They all had a feeling that there was something very dark approaching.

* * *

TBC – unless my computer crashes again…

* * *

A/N: Oh dear… (winces) Three more chapters left. We'll see just how bad things get until then… (gulps)

Awkay, because I'm seriously running out of time, I've gotta get going. **PLEASE**, do leave a review before you tune out – you know how much I love hearing from you!  
Until next time – let's hope technology allows that to be soon enough!

Take care!

* * *

**kai**: Poor things, ne? Just when they were trying move forward those bastards come marching in… (winces) Let's hope everyone gets what they deserve in the end. (reveals fangs)

(chuckles) Awww, you poor thing! I hope you'll be able to show your cousin who's the boss one day.

Mega-sized thank yous for the review!

I really hope I'll be seeing you around.

-

**Aachen**: Finally some faint hope of a happy ending, ne? (grins) Now if only Sasuke gets over Itachi's death – and Kabuto and Sai get the heck out of their way. (growls)

Kabuto DEFINITELY deserves some punishment! And as for Sai… (lifts a hand) Can I join you when you go after him?

Gigantic thank yous for the review!

See you next time, I hope.

-

**Bask**: Hooray, I'm so happy to hear you liked it! (grins from ear to ear)

(chuckles) So you'd like it if something happened to Sai, hmm? (smirks evilly) Ah, I'd enjoy that very much, too… So we shall see…

Enormous thank yous for the review!

I really hope I'll c ya around.

-

**Kira**: Awww, thank you! (hugs) 'Sorry to hear you've had similar problems! This was my second crash. (groans) We'll see how long it takes until the third one… (gulps)

Computers can be real pain, ne? (winces)

And I'm beyond happy to hear you consider the story worth the wait! (beams)

I really hope the next chapter turns out worth the delay!

-

**Juli**: Thank you so much for the tip! I'm currently using Word (which I just managed to upload after some searching); we'll see how that goes… (crosses fingers)

I really hope I'll see you around!


	8. Of Tearing Everything Apart

A/N: Hey there again, folks! You know, in beforehand I thought this would be a difficult chapter to write. But in the end I finished it in a day. (grins) And now, it's update time! Hooray?

BUT, first off… Thank you from the bottom of my heart for those INCREDIBLE review you've left for this lil' story! (HUUUGS) This story would never progress anywhere without you (seriously – I love writing to you guys), so THANK YOU! (beams) As always, **responses to anonymous reviews** can be found from underneath the chappy.

Awkay, because I bet you want to get on with the story instead of reading my babblings, let's go! I really hope ya'll like this one!

* * *

VERSE 8: Of Tearing Everything Apart

* * *

'_I've been waiting for you_'

* * *

_Four Days Later_

* * *

Naruto had never been a particularly patient person, yet during the past few days he'd surprised himself with how much he was able to wait without screaming out loud. Perhaps the key was that he waited for an important person.

For the first two days after Itachi's funeral Sasuke spent most of the time in a nearly catatonic state, and during those long days both he and Kakashi waited with dread where the boy's condition would lead. Tsunade also visited as often as she could, but even she couldn't make much of a difference. Then, step by step, the progress started. After four days Sasuke didn't need as much medication, and the raven even talked just as much as he did before. As long as no one mentioned Itachi's name everything was at least somewhat okay and in control.

That very early morning Naruto was deep in thought while he lay on his newly bought bed, his hand – which had several fingers missing – outstretched before him.

This was how he started almost every single morning – with going through all there was wrong with his body before starting the fight to cope with the flaws. But this morning was the first time someone caught him in the middle of his routine.

"Naruto?" There was a somewhat confused look on Sasuke's tired face. "What are you doing?"

He swallowed a little, feeling very stupid all of a sudden. "I was just… thinking", he muttered, not sure how to set his words.

Sasuke quirked an eyebrow. "About what?"

At first he almost lied, but then changed his mind. The raven was obviously onto something – he could as well be honest.

With a tiny sigh he got up, then limped his way to the Uchiha's bedside. He spoke when Sasuke got up, coming so close that they felt each other's warmth. He should've told all this a long time ago. "I'm… disfigured. And… it's not just my leg."

Sasuke gave him a somewhat wry look. "I'm not one to care much about appearances. I thought you understood that much."

He snorted. "So you say. You're beautiful – I'm sure you know that much." He looked towards his twisted leg, wincing. "I've got a million things wrong with me."

Sasuke shrugged. "So do I." The boy ran a stunningly gentle hand down his cheek, skillfully managing to brush every single scar and other shame mark. "I… see you, Naruto. I know you've been through surgeries, and that you don't look like everyone else does. But why should any of that matter?"

He opened his mouth, but in the end no words came. He wasn't sure if he was closer to smiling or shedding some tears as he leaned forward and kissed Sasuke's lips, first gently, then determinedly, giving his all.

As Sasuke's hand grabbed his, accepting his offer, for the first time in his life he felt that his appearance honestly didn't matter. And he'd never felt better in his life.

-

When Kakashi peered into the room ten minutes later, his eyes softened a little at what he found.

Naruto and Sasuke were sitting on the raven's bed, with their hands linked tenderly. He wondered if Naruto knew about the barely visible trace of a smile that lingered on Sasuke's face when the blond whispered something to the Uchiha's ear.

Without making a sound he closed the door, leaving the two into their own world.

Perhaps giving them a tiny bit of own space now that they were recovering wouldn't be a horrible mistake, after all.

* * *

Tsunade was, to say the least, surprised when Kakashi showed up to her office willingly that day. She arched an eyebrow when looking at him. "Now what are you doing here?"

The man seemed somewhat embarrassed. "I… know you owe me nothing, but I came to ask you a favor." He went on after closing the room's door. "Shizune's pregnant again, four months along."  
She blinked twice. "Are you the father?"

He shook his head quickly. "It's her fiancé's. But…" He sighed a little. "Apparently there are some problems, and she needs someone to watch over Rika for a couple of days."

She started to catch on. "Of course you go – you're her father. And I'll look after Naruto and Sasuke – I'll visit them a couple of times per day to make sure they're fed and in one piece." Both teens had made a lot of progress lately – she was fairly sure Kakashi could leave without any further worrying.

Kakashi's eyes still carried some hesitation. "Are you sure?"

She waved her hand dismissively. "Go, before I throw you out. And don't worry."

At that moment Kakashi did something very rare. The man smiled genuinely. "Thank you." With that the grey-haired left.

While watching the closed door, she couldn't help being amazed by how far that family of three had gotten. She just hoped the dark feeling of dread would leave her alone…

* * *

The following morning Naruto and Sasuke were feeling lazy enough to do some cloud gazing on the house's backyard. The Uzumaki was feeling very much comfortable with the Uchiha's head resting on his stomach.

Neither knew how long they'd lingered in a comfortable silence until Naruto spoke all of a sudden. "Sasuke… Have you ever had a boyfriend before – or a girlfriend?"

Sasuke snorted, appearing amused. "So now you're calling yourself my boyfriend?"

He quirked an eyebrow, his heart sinking just a little. "Then what am I?"

"I… just don't know yet, okay? I'll tell you when I have it figured out." Sasuke shrugged, apparently in deep discomfort. "Right now, you're a very good pillow."

He snorted, his light mood from before returning in an instant.

He was almost falling asleep when Sasuke spoke of all of a sudden some moments later. "No." Seeing his confusion, the visibly embarrassed raven went on. "No, I haven't… had an official partner before. Are you happy now?"

He merely grinned, not bothering with words. Something foreign and nice squirmed in his stomach.

Just then, as ever so often when they were attempting to relax, approaching steps appeared to interrupt them. Looking up, he came close to groaning when finding Sai. Sure, he wasn't pissed off at his ex-boyfriend anymore, but he had a feeling that this appearance couldn't mean anything good. "Hey. What are you doing here?"

Sai revealed him an envelope. "Yamato just sent me this from Japan. I think you should see it."

He could feel just how stiff Sasuke was before they got up, and in some other situation he might've tried to calm the boy down. At the moment, however, the desire to read the letter was far too great to leave room for logical thinking.

He opened the envelope – and his eyes widened at what he found.

Some years ago he and Iruka had sent an application to a certain school that was meant for teenagers like him. It'd been more of a joke than anything else; they knew the school was too expensive. But now… he had a full scholarship in his hands. He was holding a ticket to get into the world. And he felt ready to throw up.

"Naruto?" Sasuke sounded almost worried, which might've made him feel very good in some other situation. "What is it?"

"It's… It's an invitation", he barely managed. Before, he'd thought he'd be ecstatic if he'd ever get this letter, but now… Honestly, he had no idea how to feel. He swallowed thickly when his mouth felt as dry as sand. "To a school in America."

-

Sasuke felt like someone had kicked him right to the stomach.

Naruto… had been invited to America? The blond was leaving? That thought felt far worse than he'd ever expected, and it took his all to keep emotions from showing.

"I asked Yamato to pull some strings", Sai explained. "He managed to get you into that school, and I'm also going to study in America. We'll leave as soon as possible, before the summer ends."

"So… This is your doing?" In some other situation he might've heard Naruto's clear disappointment.

He felt his eyes narrow. "So this is your plan to get him away from here and right where you want him?" he all but scoffed. "You actually think you can take him with you."

"What else is there for him – you, a handicapped?" Sai's voice was openly mocking. "Are you going to strap Naruto here for the rest of his life? With you he'd never get further from this dead village. Is that what you want for him?"

"Sai, shut up!" Naruto snarled.

Ignoring the boy, Sai leaned so close that only he could hear the following words. "We both know damn well he'd be much happier with me."

He grit his teeth and balled his fists, feeling how the shreds of his self-control started to break. "Leave us the fuck alone", he snarled through tightly grit teeth.

Sai snorted. "How are you planning to make me? Are you going to kill me, too?"

Unable to hold himself back for another second, he slammed his fist forth – only a split second too late hearing a voice. "Sasuke, don't!"

As soon as the contact came, he knew he'd made a huge mistake. For the skin underneath his held scars he recognized very well. He was fairly sure his eyes widened a fraction while he pulled his fist away hopelessly too late.

"Damn it, Naruto… Your nose is bleeding." Sai managed to sound genuinely worried.

"I'm okay." He felt a hand on his shoulder that disappeared in a flash, making him shiver. "I've gotta go inside. I'll see you soon, 'k?"

He wished he could've spoken, or reacted in any way whatsoever, but all he could do was stand there, listening how Naruto hurried away from him.

As soon as they were alone Sai walked closer, until their noses almost touched. "Now you've already hurt him once. And it looks like he's scared of you." The boy's voice wasn't mocking, only painfully knowing. "How many more accidents are you going to allow before you let him go?" With those words he heard distancing steps as the boy started to walk away.

He had no idea how long he stood there, absolutely still, with his head screaming and heart pounding painfully. When he was finally able to move, he knew exactly what to do.

* * *

Inside the house Naruto didn't know what to think and feel when his head had finally cleared out from the hit that hadn't been meant for him, and Sai's words echoed in his throbbing skull.

Had Sasuke… really killed someone?

His skin tingled, and he took a deep breath while closing his eyes. It didn't make much of a difference anymore that he couldn't think; he wouldn't have known what to think, anyway.

So deep in thought he was, that he almost yelped with surprise when Sai's voice came from behind him all of a sudden. "I did some research", the boy declared. "It happened almost four years ago. His name was Orochimaru, and he was a teacher in Sasuke's former school." There was a brief pause. "Sasuke claims that it was a rape and self-defense, but I don't believe him."

For a few moments he remained all but paralyzed, letting ice-cold facts wash over him and take their full affect. It was almost terrifying that Sasuke had been through something like that, and suffered it all in silence, carried those nightmares along for such a long time. Finally he forced himself to return to the situation at hand. "Why are you telling me this – do you honestly think I'd think less of him because of something some bastard did to him? That I'd run away from him because he's been put through hell?" As he looked at his picture in the mirror – met the face Sasuke had accepted without questioning – his head was suddenly clearer than ever before. "And… You know what?" A tiny smile appeared to his face. "I… I'm falling in love with him, Sai – with all of him. So… I don't care what he did in the past. If he'll have me, I want a future with him."

For the longest time he felt how Sai stared at him, until the boy managed to speak. "Do as you please. Just remember, Naruto… My door's open when your eyes finally open up." With that the boy left.

For a couple of seconds he stood absolutely still, not noticing how stiff he was, then sighed heavily and relaxed, the words he'd just spoken no longer weighing his chest.

He'd have to gather himself, now. Because when Sasuke would come home they'd have a long talk ahead of them.

* * *

Kabuto was very good at keeping his emotions in check. That's why it surprised even him how his whole body reacted when he opened the door of his newest home to find Sasuke. "Now what are you doing here?" _And how the hell did you find this place?_

The expression on the raven's face didn't change. "I know you'll leave town soon. I came to get a one more round – you owe me that much."

For some long moments the surreal situation made it impossible for him to react. At first he was about to slam his door closed – after all, Sasuke had not only insulted him and attacked him in front of all those people, but also made him the hottest topic of gossiping in the hospital. But then his eyes flashed as a thought floated into his head. "It's going to be very expensive."

Without saying a word, Sasuke gave him quite a sum of money. "Just go and get the stuff before I change my mind."

Taking the money rather greedily, he turned around and made his way into the room where his stash was. Making sure Sasuke hadn't followed he started the work. In the end he'd produced a cocktail that'd take down even the biggest and toughest of men. A wicked little smirk appeared to his face as he looked at the product, before packing it up properly.

A blind person wouldn't know the difference before it'd be too late, he was sure.

Sasuke's face still showed no change when he handed the final product to the boy. "There it is", he all but barked out. "Make sure I'll never see your face again unless you have something more than money to offer."

Sasuke looked at him directly to eyes, and for a moment he found it impossible to believe that the boy was blind. "Goodbye, Kabuto." And so saying the raven turned around and started to walk away.

For the longest time he watched how Sasuke went with steady, confident steps. Doubt lurked like a snake into his head.

Something about this whole situation felt wrong. Was it possible that Sasuke knew what kind of a poison he'd just given the young Uchiha?

Then he shook his head, almost snorting to himself.

Perhaps he should take some of his own stuff, after all. His imagination was obviously starting to play tricks on him.

-

Kabuto never knew how outside the building, Sasuke nodded to the group of policemen that was hiding behind a corner, giving a sign that they had the right place. The boy's steps were heavy while he walked away the same moment the police started to move towards Kabuto's door.

* * *

The first thing Sasuke heard when finally entering his home was the sound of running water stopping. In a moment soft steps appeared to the hallway. "Hey", Naruto greeted. "I was already getting worried. Where were you?" When he didn't respond, the boy went on. "Sasuke, we really need to talk."

He couldn't speak, because at that moment the stench of blood Naruto hadn't managed to wash away met his nose. And at that moment he knew he'd done exactly the right thing, no matter how much it'd hurt.

"Sasuke?" He felt Naruto approach while the blond spoke, which didn't make what he about to do any easier. "Why… are you looking like that?"

His mouth felt very dry and clumsy all of a sudden. "Accept Sai's offer."

"What?!" A hand wrapped around his wrist painfully tightly, making him want to scowl. "Sasuke, what the hell are you talking about?"

"Here you'll get nothing but an illusion. Didn't you hear Sai? I'm not the kind of a person you think I am." He braced himself, gathering his almost broken will. "This little fooling around was fun while it lasted, but now it's time to end it. Go, when you still can."

"Sasuke, I'm not leaving you!"

He winced inwardly, almost sure that he wouldn't be able to do this, after all. _That moron…!_ "What does it take to make you get it?" His stomach and chest hurt, but he forced himself to go on – for the Uzumaki's sake. For once he was glad he couldn't see, for it spared him from having to meet the look on the blond's face. "I've been lying to you, Naruto – I'll never be a part of those fairytales you've been building up inside your head. There's nothing you should stay for, so leave me alone already!"

-

Naruto could only stare at Sasuke, who's face and unseeing eyes couldn't be read. He barely even noticed how badly he was trembling while his widened blue eyes blurred. Never in his life had he been hurting as much as he did then.

His fists balled while memories of all those times when he'd been fooled around, rejected and tormented reappeared into his head, making all that pain rush right back.

He should've known…

He shouldn't have trusted…

He'd already faced so much lying, hurting and being unloved during his short, pathetic life. This… This was far too much. He couldn't take this.

And suddenly all he could do was react.

-

For several long seconds Naruto didn't do a thing. Then, so abruptly that it almost startled Sasuke, a harsh slap he'd expected hit his face before steps hurried away from him. When the sound of a door being slammed shut came he was almost sure his heart stopped for several beats.

* * *

Kabuto frowned when there was a firm knock on the door of his so-called apartment.

_Who…?_

The second he opened the door, he wished he hadn't. For he found several men he immediately recognized as police-officers. For a moment he contemplated his options, only to discover that he had none. He'd never get away from these people.

He was fairly sure his eyes narrowed with irritation for a split second before he spoke in a faked pleasant tone. "What's going on?"

One of the arrivals – a huge, scarred man – took a step forth with a dangerous expression, showing him a badge. "You're Kabuto, right? I'm detective Ibiki Morino. You're arrested for the murder of Itachi Uchiha."

* * *

Sai blinked several times when opening up the door of his motel-room, and finding a hysterically crying Naruto.

It took almost a minute before he managed to utter a sound. "Naruto…?"

Apparently unable to say a word, the blond buried his face to one hand and all but collapsed to the floor.

* * *

About two hours later in his room Sasuke barely realized how his cell-phone slipped from his hand when absolutely all strength left him. A small sigh escaped him as he lay down to his bed, the stiffness in his muscles making it impossible to find a comfortable position.

The phone-call he'd just taken… had been far harder than he'd expected. But now it was over – although a tiny part of him would've wished otherwise.

He closed his eyes although he couldn't see, no longer having the strength to keep his eyelids open. His exhausted mind lingered while he slid deeper and deeper into this warm, comforting blanket of numbness.

He still remembered his parents from what felt like a different life. His mother's warm, comforting touch soothed him even now.

/ _"Did you have a nightmare?" Gosh, how good those arms had felt! "Everything's alright."_ /

He remembered Itachi so well that it hurt, recalled how they'd always been together.

/ _"Of course I'll never leave you, Sasuke." For so many years he'd believed._ /

He, of course, remembered Kakashi, how hard it'd been to try and trust the man.

/ _"I know it's hard to believe right now, but things will get better. It won't hurt forever."_ /

And better than anything he remembered Naruto, all the unconditional affection and comfort the boy had given him. Those memories, he discovered, hurt more than anything.

/ _"It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you, I promise. I'll never hurt you."_ /

He grit his teeth, even now fighting with his all to hold back his emotions. Nonetheless two tears escaped.

He'd made so many mistakes, stumbled several times and hurt a lot of people. Now, it was time to stop. He was sick of screwing up and hurting. No one else could save him from himself, so he'd do it – right here, right now.

It was time to let go, for everyone's sake. He had a lot of people waiting for him, anyway.

That thought comforted him so that he relaxed completely before he grabbed the needle that'd been waiting on the bedside table beside him.

* * *

In his motel room, Sai's careful ears caught the sound of Naruto's cell phone bleeping as a message entered the boy's answering machine. After making sure the blond was still in a shower, he chose to listen to the message, just to make sure.

The words he heard made his eyes flash.

"_Sorry about this, Naruto._" That voice was without a doubt Sasuke's. "_I wish I didn't have to lie to you. I hope you'll forgive me for this._" And so the message ended.

He just put the phone away, wondering what he should do, when Naruto's voice came. "Sai?" The boy was looking at him with some confusion. "Did my phone just ring?"

He managed to pull on a smile. "No – I thought it did, too." He then got up, trying to lead Naruto's attention away from the phone. "Now, let's get ready. We've got a plane to catch."

* * *

TBC.

* * *

A/N: Oh man… (winces) That's the worst cliffie during this whole story, ne? (screams and runs from thrown objects)

Gah, I've really gotta get going now, but first… **PLEASE**, leave a review – they're a huge inspiration and help me work with the final two chapters, ya know? (gives absolutely irresistible puppy-dog eyes)

IN THE NEXT ONE: The final turmoil starts and a life hangs in a delicate balance. Sai finally learns a harsh lesson. The story's end draws nearer in 'Of Delayed Realizations'.

Until the next (and – sniff – second-last) chappy – I REALLY hope you'll all join in then!

Take care!

* * *

**kai**: It's like the whole world's against them, ne? (winces)

And now Sai's dancing all around them, too, causing so much trouble. He's such a ass that even I'm gritting my teeth here! (groans) A restraining order – and a sniper with a paintball gun? (grins) Ah, what wonderful ideas!

Colossal thank yous for the review!

See you next time, no?

-

**Aachen**: Now how did I just know that you'd love that part? (grins) It's a joy to hear that it made you happy, because it sure made my day. (smirks sadistically) In this story, Sai just can't get punched too much.

(chuckles) Sasuke's SERIOUSLY in a roll – and I'm so proud of Naru-kun, too! (huggles them both despite violent resistance)

Gigantic thank yous for the lovely review!

'Hope I'll see you next time.

ps: Hugs, kisses AND cookies?! (beams) Awww, I feel so loved – thank you! (HUGS)


	9. Of Delayed Realizations

A/N: I'm baaack – and considering the cliffie I left you on not a moment too soon! (grins sheepishly)

First off, of course… MASSIVE thank yous for all those fantastic reviews! (HUGS) You guys have been a great audience, ya know? So thank you! (beams) As usual **responses to anonymous reviews** can be found from underneath the chappy.

Awkay, especially with the cliffie I left you on, I think it's high time to move this story forward, ne? (screams and dodges thrown objects) I really enjoyed making this chapter, so I hope ya'll all have a great ride, too! (gulps nervously)

* * *

VERSE 9: Of Delayed Realizations

* * *

'_It's alive with the beating of young hearts_'

* * *

Ibiki rarely saw something powerful enough to make him feel nauseous. Yet as he watched the video that'd just been given to his hands, his stomach seemed to be making backflips.

/ _On the video Sasuke stood before a plain, wooden table, appearing so pale and shaky that it was easy to tell how hard doing this was to the raven. Yet the onyx eyes were firm and determined, and there was no hesitation on the teen's tense face._

_"Due to this case's nature, this video-testimony was allowed. This tape is an offficial document of evidence", a voice explained. There was a pause. "Could you tell your name to the camera?"_

_The boy only hesitated for a beat. "Sasuke Uchiha."_

_"Do you understand that you're under the oath?"_

_Sasuke barely blinked. "Yes."_

_"Good." There was a small pause. "Now… Could you please tell me about your relationship with the defended?"_

_Sasuke hesitated and swallowed thickly, but eventually forced himself to speak out. "Four years ago… a man named Orochimaru raped me and tried to kill me. I killed him as self-defense." The boy looked away although he couldn't see, as though drifting into another world. "Kabuto… was Orochimaru's closest ally, I don't know what else. He saw the whole thing, and started blackmailing me." The raven had to gather himself for a couple of long moments. "He told me that if I wouldn't do what he asked me to, I'd lose everything – my brother, my new family, my freedom, and later on Naruto. He never let me forget what I'd done, not even for a second. And he made it clear that if I'd tell anyone, those close to me and I would pay."_

_There was a long pause that allowed the boy to catch his breath. "Then what happened?"_

_Sasuke lowered his head so that hair hid the boy's face. "He… thought I broke the deal and spoke. And he… he killed Itachi, in cold blood. He…" The boy's frame shook as he brought a hand to his face. "'A life for a life', he told me. He…"_ /

Unable to bear watching any longer Ibiki pressed 'stop', his eyes flashing with emotions he usually kept well hidden.

It took several moments before there was a cough, followed by somewhat shaky words. "Do you think that's enough to get Kabuto thrown into a jail?" Hayate all but whispered.

It took a while before he managed to respond. "I really hope so." His throat was sore and dry, and he had to swallow thickly. "Because if that isn't… then I don't know what is."

He wanted to – needed to – believe that there was some justice in the world. That all the pain that child had gone through wasn't in vain.

* * *

Naruto didn't know what to feel as he stood in the middle of an airport, watching how behind a window huge planes rose towards the gray, rainy sky, carrying the people inside towards something unknown.

He'd really, honestly wanted to get into that school when he'd filled out the application, but right now…

He felt like a damn coward, running away without letting anyone know.

Kakashi would be worried when finding out – he was fairly sure the man cared about him, and suddenly it hurt to imagine the look on the gray-haired's face when the man would discover him gone. Both Jiraiya and Tsunade would be furious with him. And Sasuke…

A stab of pain crossed his whole frame and he grit his teeth, shuddering.

/ _"What does it take to make you get it? I've been lying to you, Naruto – I'll never be a part of those fairytales you've been building up inside your head. There's nothing you should stay for, so leave me alone already!"_ /

He frowned all of a sudden, a nearly desperate thought finding its way to his head.

Had it been… tears he'd heard in Sasuke's voice? Could it be…?

He then snorted, shaking his head at the ridiculous thought. Who was he trying to fool, really?

His bitter, painful thoughts were about to stray back to Kakashi when Sai's words pulled him back to reality. "It's never been that hard to find a bathroom." The boy looked at him for a moment, then seemed to come close to sighing. "You're not thinking about Sasuke anymore, are you?"

"No." He wasn't sure why he felt such an intense need to lie, nor did he really want to know. Gosh, how much he would've wanted to know for sure what was the right thing to do! Emitting a deep, exasperated sigh he ran a hand through his hair. "I… I'll listen to my messages before we go, okay? Just in case Kakashi's called."

Was that… fear in Sai's eyes? "Naruto…"

But the boy was too late, for he was already listening to his messages. There were no new ones – instead chills of dread crossed his being when he heard Sasuke's voice. "_Sorry about this, Naruto._" The boy's voice was filled with something he'd never heard in it before, and his whole body turned ice-cold with something close to terror. "_I wish I didn't have to lie to you. I hope you'll forgive me for this._" Then the message ended without a warning.

And all of a sudden he understood much too clearly.

He gasped loudly and brought a hand to his chest, feeling like there was no air in him. His eyes widened as he breathed out. "Sasuke…!" What had he done?!

"Naruto?" Sai's face revealed that the boy knew exactly what he'd heard. In a flash all his confusion disappeared.

His hit sent Sai to the floor and made everyone around them look, but he didn't care. He could barely see through the tears welling up into his eyes. "You… You better hope he's alright!" he hissed through tightly grit teeth. "Because if he isn't… I'll never forgive you!"

With that he _ran_ as fast as he possibly could with his limitations, paying no attention to Sai's shouts or all the people he bumped into, hoping – _praying_ – from the bottom of his heart that he wasn't too late.

Because if he was too late, he'd _never_ forgive himself for this mistake.

* * *

Due to his physical condition, Naruto had obviously never been much of a runner. But nonetheless he pushed forth his absolutely all, and in the end he surprised himself with how fast he'd made it to the familiar house.

But at the moment he didn't have a second to waste on thinking, although his chest was on fire and it was painful to breathe. Somehow he had a feeling that every second counted. "Sasuke?" he called out as soon as he made it inside, his breathing wheezing as he gazed around wildly. His eyes turned slightly blurry when there was no response, although he worked his hardest to control his panicked thoughts. "Sasuke!"

The house remained eerily quiet and lifeless, and he lost control over his panic. Defying all possible limitations he hurried to Sasuke's room as though something had been calling him – only to freeze to the doorway, his knees almost buckling.

Sure enough, Sasuke was in the room – lay on the bed with his eyes closed, his skin even paler than usual and so painfully unmoving that he would've wanted to scream.

He didn't realize he'd moved until he was by the Uchiha's side, his badly trembling hand brushing to other's cold, clammy skin, desperate to find any signs of life whatsoever. His eyes finally overflowed when he couldn't be sure if there were any

His whole body was trembling uncontrollably when he looked towards the raven's face, his desperate gaze pleading. He was fairly sure he moaned out loud when the onyx eyes remained closed. "Sasuke, wake up, will you?" His voice broke, but he didn't give a damn. All that mattered was that there was still no reply. "Please."

It was around then his eyes caught something. He was almost sure his heart skipped a couple of beats when he noticed the needle that'd fallen from Sasuke's hand to the floor. Vomit rose to his throat and his trembling deteriorated still, but instead of throwing up he gathered the Uchiha's unconscious form gently to his arms, pulling the boy as close as humanly possible. He squeezed his eyes tightly shut with pain when feeling how frail Sasuke's heartbeat was against his frantic one. He would've wanted to scream out loud, but could barely even wheeze.

"Please…" He didn't recognize the voice as his. "Please, wake up… Wake up… I'm so sorry!"

All of a sudden things progressed as though in some sort of a weird dream. He screamed – at least thought he did – when Sasuke was suddenly ripped away from his arms. He outstretched his hand as his eyes flew open and he screamed, this time he was sure of it – only to face a very solemn Tsunade. Her voice echoed in his head as though she'd spoken through a fog of some sort. "Naruto, I called the medics. They'll take care of Sasuke, alright? They'll do everything they can – you need to let them do their work."

He wasn't sure if he spoke or even nodded. All he did know for sure was that as he looked at the medics hurrying off with Sasuke, the rest of the world faded away.

The following hour and half, which included the journey to the hospital, was nothing but a blur to him.

* * *

The next time Naruto was truly coherent, he found himself from the hospital's cold waiting room, where a chilling atmosphere lingered like a dark cloud of some sort. In a matter of moments his eyes discovered the clock that was hanging on the wall like a cruel reminder of how slowly each minute passed. From then his eyes only left the clock whenever the room's door opened, but the arrival was never the one he desperately wanted to see.

Minutes ticked by, turned into hours that seemed to stretch until eternity. He'd never felt more hopeless, lost, alone and cold in his life.

All of a sudden his instincts caught something that made him turn his head. His whole body turned cold when through the huge glass window separating the room from the hallway, he saw Kakashi and Tsunade talking.

What kind of news had there been? Was Sasuke okay? What would Kakashi say?

What little hope he'd had became crushed as the scene unfolded. He couldn't hear what Tsunade said, of course, but the look on her strained face told everything necessary as she explained to Kakashi what was going on. The way Kakashi's shoulders slumped while he buried his face to one hand finished the display. All of a sudden he wanted to throw up.

The moment Kakashi entered their eyes met, carrying the exact same emotions from anger and fear to nerve wrecking hopelessness.

For the first time since coming to the hospital he found himself moving. Before he realized what was happening he'd walked up to Kakashi and wrapped his arms around the man. Tears didn't listen to his pride as they started to fall, and there seemed to be something wrong with how Kakashi shuddered when the man returned his crushing hug.

Not another word was needed.

* * *

_Three Days Later_

* * *

When Naruto stepped into Sasuke's hospital room that day – already exhausted by sleepless nights and several frustrating days with no progress – he felt almost ready to break into tears when facing the sight inside.

Apparently it wasn't bad enough that Sasuke still lay unmoving and unresponsive, detached from the reality. It was almost equally heartbreaking to look at Kakashi – who obviously hadn't slept at all during the past days – sitting as close to the boy's bed as possible, bloodshot eyes fixed to a book the man was trying to read. The heavy air of waiting and sadness that lingered in the room was close to suffocating.

He swallowed laboriously before daring to speak. "So… still no change?"

Kakashi shivered a little, as though waking up from a dream, before managing to look at him and shake his head. "No." The voice was atypically soft. The man then looked towards Sasuke again, obviously not daring to look away too long. "His condition is stable now, but… The doctor isn't sure if his heart has been damaged and if he's healthy enough to wake up."

He nodded slowly, feeling like someone had placed a ton's weight to his shoulders. So three days, and still no good news?

"Naruto." Kakashi was looking at him in a way that told the man had been calling out to him for a while already. "I'm going to get some coffee before I fall asleep while sitting, okay? I'll be back soon."

He nodded with a slight smile, glad to get a moment alone with Sasuke. Yet again spoken words weren't needed when Kakashi squeezed his shoulder reassuringly while going.

'Just hang on, will you? It has to work out eventually. Right?'

* * *

Sai had never been a particularly brave person. That's why it took him three days before he finally decided that he'd have to sort things out with Naruto sooner or later. It didn't take him all that long to figure out that the blond was visiting in the hospital.

As he finally made it to the ward in which Sasuke was, however, he never met Naruto. Instead he ran into Kakashi.

The man arched an eyebrow at him. "So you really did have the nerve to show up."

Gathering himself quickly, he managed to smile. "I came to see Naruto."

Kakashi's expression chilled him. "Is that so? Because he gave me clear instructions to throw you out if you'd come."

He swallowed somewhat thickly, wondering how in the world he'd manage to get out of this one. "I'm… sorry. I shouldn't have interfered."

Kakashi's eyes flashed. "No, you shouldn't have." The man nodded sharply towards the room. "Take a look inside, right now."

He obeyed, although a part of him felt reluctant. It hurt far more than he'd ever expected to see the look on Naruto's face as the boy held Sasuke's hand, looking at the raven in a way the blond had never looked at him. It was obvious that nothing else than the unconscious boy existed to Naruto at the moment. He'd never felt as defeated as he did at that moment.

He looked at Kakashi with some confusion. "Why did you want me to see that?"

"That's love, Sai." The man's voice was frosty, as were the eyes looking directly to his. "And if you ever stand in its way again, I'll make sure you face heavy consequences. Understood?"

He could only nod.

"Good." Kakashi's eyes hardened still. "Now leave. And remember that if you ever try to come back, I'm right here waiting."

Without saying a word he turned around and started to walk away. Sometimes there just weren't proper words for certain situations.

(As he sat in a airplane a couple of hours later and placed his hand to his chest, where a nagging pain lingered, he wondered sullenly if that was what heartbreak was supposed to feel like.)

* * *

Inside the room Naruto had no idea of the intruder as he sat beside Sasuke.

He swallowed thickly, not entirely sure where to start when there was so much he wanted to say. "It's… It's been three days. You do know that, right? Three damn days, and I…" He blinked several times, emotions running out of his control. It hurt him physically how still, almost lifeless, the Uchiha remained. And at that moment he couldn't hold himself back any longer. "I… I'm sorry, okay? I'm so sorry I left you – I made a huge mistake." He swallowed again, although his throat was so tight it hurt. "Can't you wake up already?" He sniffed loudly, squeezing Sasuke's hand as tightly as he dared to. "It sucks having to jabber here all by myself, you know?" _It sucks to be here without you._ "So… Wake up, please."

Nothing but silence and the monitors observing Sasuke's condition answered him, and his shoulders slumped with disappointment.

Since when had there been miracles for him, anyway?, he reminded himself bitterly.

Rapidly shaking away that sour thought, he forced his mind to move to other matters. Not really knowing what he was doing, he started to hum softly.

-

The first thing Sasuke sensed when consciousness started to flood back in was this annoying, gnawing pain in his head and chest. That, and a faint, soft sound he couldn't recognize.

A light frown made its way to his face.

_What the…?_

And just then it occurred to him that he wasn't alone. He felt a hand squeeze his, sensed how someone leaned closer. "Sasuke?" Naruto's voice was so tensed up that it almost broke. "Are you awake?"

Not really managing to focus on those words, he brought his free hand to his face and groaned loudly. "Oh fuck…"

He heard a suspiciously wet snort while Naruto squeezed his hand again, holding on determinedly. "Is that all you can say?" Another snort, even wetter than the former, followed. "Do you have any idea how close to punching you I am right now?"

In some other situation he might've smirked. "I've got a clue."

It took a while before Naruto spoke again. "Do you… remember what happened?"

He nodded slowly, unsure at first until the memories came crashing down like a flood, making him nauseated. "Yeah", he managed.

"Good." Naruto's voice shook. Was the blond crying? And then the damns broke. "You have no idea how mad I am at you right now, and you should see Kakashi." The squeeze on his hand grew almost painful, and some tears fell to his skin. Gosh, how badly the blond was shaking! "I… I could've lost you! What… What was I supposed to do, if…?! Did you even…?" The rest died out.

He swallowed thickly, musing that it was probably medication making him feel like his mouth had been full of mush. "Naruto…" And then his tongue failed him completely; there was just too much stuff inside his mouth.

He wasn't sure what the sound he heard next was. "Yeah, I know."

He didn't even have the energy to nod, so he simply lay still, not sure what to do next.

Naruto, apparently, still had a lot to say. "You could've died – you do understand that, right?" He really hoped it wasn't even more tears he heard, although he had a much too clear idea. "If… If it'd been just minutes later you would've been gone."

It was at that moment he finally got the courage to say the words. "I… didn't want you to find me", he rasped. "I didn't want anyone to find me." He closed his eyes as though it would've made any difference, and hid his face from Naruto with one hand. "I'm just… I'm sick and tired of feeling this way all the time." He almost wished he could've said more, but he had no words. How the hell was he supposed explain something even he couldn't understand?

For the longest time it was painfully silent, and when he felt how Naruto stared at him he was suddenly almost glad he couldn't see the boy's face. Then, so suddenly that he shuddered, the Uzumaki pulled him up and into such a hug that almost took his breath away with its intensity. The other boy's body shook, and without noticing it he returned to hold the best as he could in a weak attempt to chase away the hurt he'd caused.

He had no idea how long they'd remained in each other's embrace before Naruto finally lay him back down like a piece of the most fragile glass, the hand in his never letting go. It took even longer before the boy all but whispered. "How…" The boy cleared his throat, then tried again. "How do you feel, right now?"

Unable to hold himself back, even for the sake of his pride, he squeezed Naruto's hand – pathetically weakly, but nonetheless. It took several moments before he managed to utter a sound. "'Tired."

"Yeah, I bet." Naruto's voice was already soft, as was the surprisingly tender kiss planted to his forehead. "Go to sleep. Just… don't take too long, okay?"

He kind of wished he would've managed to utter something at least remotely intelligent, but drugs, fatigue and all other mess wiped away all coherent thoughts. That's why he allowed himself to drift, although his head tried to scream that there was a lot he should've been thinking about.

As he floated into something that felt like sleep, even he – a blind person – noticed that this time, with Naruto beside him, the dream world wasn't a dark place at all.

* * *

TBC.

* * *

A/N: So it looks like things are finally starting to turn towards the better, ne? (grins) We'll see if this new happiness lasts...

Awkay, I'm tuning out now. But first… PLEASE, do leave a review – it'd really inspire me with the epilogue, and I'd share this jar of cookies with ya… (wink, wink)

IN THE NEXT and (sniff – I can't believe I'm writing this!) last ONE: The story finally ends in 'Epilogue – Of Last Looks'. Will Naruto and Sasuke finally find happiness?

Until next time, folks – I really hope you'll all join in for the final!

Peace out!

* * *

**kai**: (chuckles) Soap opera, hmm? I take that as a huge compliment! (grins)

Quite painful injustice, ne? (winces) Trust me, you're not the only who wants to choke that asshole Sai right now. (grits teeth) Well, at very least Kabuto's out of the way!  
Let's hope Tsunade arrives on time, ne? At least she'd know what to do. (gulps)

Monumental thank yous for the review!

C ya next time, no?

-

**Aachen**: I know exactly how you feel. I couldn't believe it, either, until it was already right before me. (winces)

Awww, I'm so glad you found the beginning sweet – it was definitely well deserved by those two! (chuckles) I loved your reactions! Yup, Naruto's deformed; I'm not sure if the 'missing fingers'-thing's been mentioned before. (grins) Such a sweet couple, ne? If it hasn't come clear already, I'm totally in love with those two together!

And hooray – Naruto loves ALL of Sasuke! Figured he would. (grins) Too bad Sasuke was just then misguided by Sai. (winces, then chuckles) Oh, hun! I really hope nothing further goes wrong; I seriously wouldn't want to kill a reader. (sweatdrops)

'Gosh' rules, btw. (grins)

HUGE thank yous for the review!  
'Hope I'll see you around with the rest.

-

**My Isolated Soul**: Hooray, I'm so glad you liked the chapter although it was indeed a bit short! (beams)

(grins) Of course I'll keep writing more after a comment like that.

Colossal thank yous for the review – and cookie! (hands several cookies)

'Hope ya'll stay tuned.


	10. Epilogue – Of Last Looks

A/N: WOAH! Back for the last one. (sniffs) I can't believe this is coming to an end already! (sniffs again)

Okay, before I'm letting you see the finalle… Thank you so much for all those reviews you left for the previous chappy – they were AGAIN so many! (HUUUGS) I can't even describe how happy you've made me. (grins) As usual **responses to anonymous reviews** can be found from underneath the chappy.

Awkay, because I can just feel how badly you want to see how this'll all end… Let's roll! I REALLY hope you'll enjoy this final chapter. (gulps nervously)

DISCLAIMER: The lyrics in this chappy are from 'Stop crying your heart out' by Oasis, which I – unfortunately – can't say I own at all. (sniffs) Oh well, it's still a great song (in my opinion), and I think it fits well to this story. (grins)

* * *

VERSE 10: Epilogue – Of Last Looks

* * *

'_Here I am - where I'm gonna stay_'

* * *

_Nine Months Later_

* * *

/ **_Hold on! Hold on!  
Don't be scared  
You'll never change what's been and gone_**

_**May your smile (May your smile)  
Shine on (Shine on)  
Don't be scared (Don't be scared)  
Your destiny may keep you warm**_

**_'Cause all of the stars  
Are fading away  
Just try not to worry  
You'll see them some day  
Take what you need  
And be on your way  
And stop crying your heart out_** /

* * *

Sasuke was feeling beyond exhausted while packing up the last of his things to a small cardboard box. As soon as he was done he stood in his already empty room, listening to its silence.

After being discharged from the hospital, he'd spent eight months in a recovery center Tsunade ran to get his head back on track. It'd been a long, hard road, and it wasn't once or twice he'd thought about simply quitting. But Naruto, Kakashi and even Tsunade had been persistent, and as little as he liked to admit having been depended on someone it was thanks to them he'd eventually made it through.

He was by no means 'alright' yet, but at least he was at a good start.

He shivered a little – with pleasure, he discovered – when a hand was laid to his shoulder. "So…" Naruto had probably never sounded as happy and content as the boy did then, and for some reason it put a warm feeling to his stomach. The blond's arms wrapped tenderly around his still far too thin body, and he leaned backwards without noticing it. "Are you ready to go?"

He nodded after thinking about it for a moment, brushing the room's wall with one hand. "Yeah. I am."

It was a month ago the three of them had decided the move to another town. They all needed a fresh start to recover – this was the best way to get one.

"Then let's get going." Naruto placed a tiny kiss to his lips and brushed his face with a warm hand. "Kakashi's already waiting for us. The moving truck comes in five minutes."

He nodded, coming to a conclusion that no words were necessary, and took the final box with one hand.

As they made it to the room's doorway, with Naruto never letting go of his hand, he surprised himself with turning around and allowing his unseeing gaze linger in the room.

The room held many memories, but he'd need to get past them if he wanted to make new ones.

"Sasuke?" There was a hint of worry in Naruto's voice. "Are you okay?"

Was that… a smile he felt on his face? "Yeah." His voice was atypically soft. "Let's go. We've already wasted enough time."

With that they left the room, closing the door soundlessly behind them. Neither wanted to look back on the past they were leaving behind.

* * *

/ **_Get up (Get up)  
Come on (Come on)  
Why're you scared? (I'm not scared)  
You'll never change what's been and gone_**

**_'Cause all of the stars  
Are fading away  
Just try not to worry  
You'll see them some day  
Take what you need  
And be on your way  
And stop crying your heart out_** /

* * *

_Thirteen Years Later_

* * *

_Hastings, England_ (1)

* * *

Although he was already old, there were only few things Jiraiya didn't like. Cemeteries and traveling were amongst those. That's why he wasn't exactly ecstatic when after a long and exhausting journey Naruto asked him to come and meet the blond at the cemetery. His heart, however, quickly melted at the sight he found.

Only steps away, Naruto whispered something, lit a candle and placed it to a statue amongst other candles that had been placed to remind of people who were buried far away. For several moments there was an expression of anguish on the blond's face, before the younger man obviously felt someone looking and glanced his way, grinning a bit and waving when recognizing him. "Hey! I was beginning to think you wouldn't show up."

As Naruto walked towards him, he found himself observing the man he hadn't seen for months. For the first time he realized that he was in fact looking at an adult. Naruto had grown a lot taller during the years passed, and although those blue eyes still shimmered mischievously sometimes, the man's face also seemed mature. Years and several operations had also helped a little with the man's leg and back. The blond still limped pretty badly when walking towards him, and he knew that the man was sometimes forced to take harsh medication to stand the pain. The facial scars and missing fingers also betrayed the secret easily. But Naruto could walk almost properly and most of the time without pain, and the blond was obviously happy with both himself and his life. As far as he was concerned, all else was nothing but details.

Forcing his thoughts elsewhere, he quirked an eyebrow. "I thought we made a deal that you won't hang on to the past anymore."

There was something sad behind Naruto's feeble grin. "This… is a tradition. I always bring a candle to Iruka when a new art exhibition is opened. I just…" The blond shrugged, obviously fighting hard against emotions. "I just like to think that he's also with me these days, that he's still watching over me."

He gave the man a tiny, sad smile while ruffling the blond locks. "I understand, kiddo." He then looked around with a frown. "Where's Sasuke?"

"Still at work. I'm supposed to go and pick him up right about now." This time Naruto's smile was a genuinely happy one. "You won't believe where he works."

His eyebrow immediately bounced up with curiosity.

-

About fifteen minutes Jiraiya he couldn't help blinking when discovering where they'd come. "This… is a school", he pointed out the obvious.

Naruto grinned, apparently enjoying his confusion. "Yup." The blond spoke again when they'd left the car and started to make their way towards the bright-green grass-area surrounding the huge building. "I never told you he became a teacher, did I?"

His eyes widened. "What?!"

"At first they weren't about to accept him because of his past and disability, but then…" It wasn't until the blond nodded towards something with a smile he noticed they'd stopped. "… appeared a group that needs him very much."

Curious, he turned his gaze – and blinked at the surreal sigh unfolding.

Amongst huge, old trees was Sasuke, along with a very young man and six children. There seemed to be a recess, because the Uchiha was merely observing the gang, his unseeing eyes surprisingly soft, and grunting out occasional commands as three of the children fooled around. The younger man was laughing while running around with them. One of the kids – a about five-years-old girl with a lot of scars – was watching the hassle from the sidelines with a mixture of fear and curiosity, carefully staying away from the others. Another girl, a couple of years older and very pretty, was stood right beside Sasuke, holding his hand. Her green eyes shone with childlike admiration as she sneaked secret glances towards her teacher.

"The school couldn't find any teacher more appropriate for that group. Those children all have horrible pasts and they've been through a lot, two of them are also blind – Sasuke's never been more specific. That aide of Sasuke's, Yūkimaru, has also had it very rough. Now he helps Sasuke with everything necessary." There was a gentle look in Naruto's eyes. "I'm not sure which party has helped which more."

He looked towards Sasuke once more, and finally realized what Naruto had talked about. The Uchiha was still very thin, but at least didn't look starved or sickly anymore. The man's pale skin also had a new, healthy glow to it. What got to him the most, however, were Sasuke's unseeing eyes. The man had never seemed as serene and content before.

Very slowly his expression softened. "You two have come a long way."

Naruto's blue eyes were thoughtful for a moment. "He still has those episodes of depression sometimes, and during those days I have to make sure he eats and goes to work. And sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night when he calls me to get him from whichever place he's wandered off to – once he'd walked over twenty kilometers. He never tells me why he leaves, or what he does, but… As long as he calls and comes back I'm happy – I know he'd never do anything I wouldn't approve. He's also still terrified of crowds. And me…" The blond grinned somewhat sheepishly, reminding him of the teen the Uzumaki had once been. "Meh, I still need him sometimes to get the courage to go out in the public, and Tsunade keeps telling me I've got self-esteem issues. But we make it through together, one day at a time." The man looked at him with a childlike bright smile. "That's all that counts in the end, right?"

He couldn't help returning the smile while nodding. It was amazing how much the blond before him had grown up.

Just then they both looked to side when hearing approaching steps. He wasn't sure if Sasuke relied more on scent or hearing when walking stunningly accurately to Naruto and giving the blond a heated kiss that left nothing to be questioned. "You're late."

Naruto grinned sheepishly while wounding his arms affectionally around the raven and pulling the man close. Did the blond just… pinch the Uchiha's behind? "'Sorry. I just… needed to do something."

Sasuke nodded, obviously understanding.

When the two got lost into another kiss, Jiraiya finally cleared his throat to remind them of his presence. He spoke once getting their attention. "So… Are we going?"

* * *

Naruto's heartbeat was far too fast and he was trembling while sitting in a car right outside an art gallery. His eyes were almost frantic when he looked at all the people gathered outside, waiting for him. "I really hate this", he whined.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, although the raven didn't appear any more comfortable than he did. "You're an artist, Naruto – the hottest new name right now. People show up to see your paintings, especially during art exhibition openings." The man squeezed his hand. "This is no big deal."

He only smiled faintly and squeezed back, not managing to get another word through his throat. With that they reluctantly abandoned the safety of the car.

At first Naruto had had no idea of what he'd become once he'd 'grow up', and he'd studied several subjects from psychology to biology for a little while. It was six years earlier he'd made his first official painting, after Tsunade had suggested he should try art-therapy. The results had been dramatic; a man named Sasori – who owned several galleries – had seen his rather graphic artwork and fallen for it. One painting had turned into ten, ten to something a lot more, and now a couple of them had even been seen abroad. For the past six months Naruto Uzumaki – a poor unloved and disfigured man who'd made his way from a backward village and his painful past to something amazing – had been someone everyone wanted to know and meet. Quite a change from how he'd once been abandoned and discriminated; during the most bitter days he wondered what all those people would've thought of him back then. During events like the one today he felt more like a circus-freak than an artist. Now he and Sasuke were going to ceremony in which a gallery that'd also taken a couple of his works would be opened – and he would've rather been anywhere else.

Clearing his head, Naruto focused firmly on leading an obviously nervous Sasuke on while they made their way through the crowd. All the while he was careful not to let his boyfriend get lost amongst all these strangers. People all but flocked around him, asking questions and shaking his hand, and it took his all to remain polite under their attack.

Couldn't they tell that he and Sasuke needed some space?!

* * *

In a small car out of everyone's sight a young man sat, watching how Naruto entered, holding Sasuke's hand as though both two's life had depended on it.

Sai's eyes darkened like a flame dying out.

It was the first time in almost fourteen years he saw the blond, faced those absolutely serene, love-filled eyes he'd failed to read for such a long time. Once again he was reminded of everything he'd never have and it hurt, far more than he could've ever expected.

And here he'd thought the pain would go away if he'd just wait long enough…

For a couple of fleeting seconds his hand rested on the handle of his car-door, his skin almost burning with the temptation to open the door that separated him from the life he so desperately yearned. But then, just as fast as it'd grabbed, his hand withdrew, and his eyes gained a pained, almost haunted look.

It was time to grow up and stop dreaming.

So deep in thought he was, that the voice speaking startled him. "Hey, did you fall asleep, hmm?" Turning his gaze, he found the face of his newest boyfriend Deidara. It wasn't until then he remembered that just like Naruto, this blond was an artist and his paintings were in the gallery; they were supposed to go in. "Are you coming?"

He opened his mouth, but in the end the words he'd first had in mind disappeared. He looked towards the gallery once more. Naruto had disappeared. "You know…" He grit his teeth before managing to look towards the older male. "I've got a crushing headache. I'll see you at the hotel, okay?"

Deidara shrugged, then gave him a chaste, harsh kiss – the kisses, he discovered, were one of the things that separated the man from Naruto. "See you later, hmm."

After Deidara had left, he spent several moments on the very edge of following the man and his deepest urges. In the end, however, he started the car and accelerated, although it was the hardest thing he'd ever done.

He didn't look back.

* * *

To Naruto the journey inside seemed to take ages. Once the doors closed he and Sasuke heard a familiar voice. "Dad, they're finally here!"

Looking to side, he smiled widely when seeing Rika – who'd grown up to look like a very attractive mixture of Shizune and Kakashi – running towards them. Before he could blink the young woman had enclosed them both to a tight hug. "Damn it, you two – it's been ages from the last time I saw you!"

He chuckled while hugging her back. "Sorry. I guess we've been a bit busy lately."

"Rika, let them breathe." Kakashi voice and eyes were filled with amusement while the man walked up to them, followed closely by Tsunade. "I should've known that the once I'm early you two are late."

After that they spent as much time together as the crowd allowed them to – or well, did until Jiraiya and Tsunade pulled up a disappearance stunt, followed closely by Rika.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Those two are too obvious." The boy's voice was uncharacteristically soft.

Kakashi nodded with an amused smile, clearly having forgotten that the Uchiha couldn't see.

Naruto cast a somewhat apologetic look towards the two. "I've gotta go to the bathroom."

Sasuke cast a rather dry, nearly amused look his way. "I think we'll make it without you for a couple of minutes."

This time he rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I know." He gave the man's hand a squeeze – kisses weren't allowed in these events. "I'll be back in a bit, 'k?"

-

Once they were left alone, Kakashi took a good look towards Sasuke and could barely hold back a tiny smile.

So many things had changed during the past years. Thanks to Sasuke's testimony and clear evidence of drug-dealing, Kabuto was still in jail and would be for a long time to come. Sai had also remained gone from their lives. Finally, after all those dark days, shadows of past only lingered in his foster son's occasional nightmares.

All of a sudden Sasuke looked towards him with a quirked eyebrow. "What's wrong?"

This time he couldn't hold back the smile. "Nothing", he stated in a strangely soft tone. "Nothing whatsoever." And he was glad beyond any belief about it.

-

As soon as he made it to the hallway in which the bathrooms were located, Naruto blinked and frowned when seeing a very nauseated looking Rika leaning against the wall. "Hey, what's wrong?"

He could actually hear her gulp while she looked towards him with wide, shocked eyes. "Promise me you won't tell dad. Please."

He blinked again, even further confused. "Okay. I won't."

Rika took a deep breath, and couldn't look his way while she all but whispered, one hand placed to her stomach. "I… I'm pregnant."

* * *

When leaving the party after about three hours, Kakashi blinked once with surprise when finding Yamato – whom Naruto had also invited – waiting for a cab. "I thought you left an hour ago."

The brunet shrugged, not looking his way. "I decided to stick around a bit longer, after all."

He nodded and stood beside the man, not knowing what to say.

They'd never really _talked_ things through after Iruka's death – silence was still awkward and heavy around them.

Was, until Yamato spoke. "Look, Kakashi…" The man sighed rather heavily, appearing tired. "It's been thirteen years, and… I think it's high time to let the past go." The man looked at him directly to eyes. "I think Iruka would've wanted us to let go. Right?"

At first he could only stare at the man. Then, very slowly, he managed to nod as something that felt like a smile found its way his face. "Yeah", he murmured.

For the first time in over a decade he saw Yamato smile as well.

Just then a cab appeared. Yamato glanced towards him once more. "Wanna share a ride?"

He nodded a bit more eagerly than he'd been supposed to. "Sure."

As they slid next to each other – only a small distance away – they both realized that they were standing on the edge of something new. Neither knew exactly where they were going, but they were both eager to find out.

* * *

In a rather dark room soft, surprisingly warm wind blew through open balcony door as silent moans disturbed the silence of the night. Shadows danced on the walls when one lover's back arched while the other managed to find the exactly right spot on his neck. Busy hands traveled on naked skin as though it'd been a land that needed to be explored.

Something between a sigh and a moan erupted from Sasuke's lips when he felt Naruto pull away, leaving heat to his recently kissed neck.

"'Suke, stop that", Naruto murmured in between amusement and a plea, either too tired or affectionate to use his full name. Two kisses found his face and he shivered although he felt much warmer than before. These kisses were comforting and conciliatory, not an invitation. "We're both too tired for this." "Besides, I don't want you to be sore in the morning."

He wasn't sure if it was a grin that appeared to his face while he played with Naruto's soft hair. "What difference would it make? With the moves you just made I'll be sore anyway."

He could actually feel Naruto's blush. "Meanie."

This time, he was sure he grinned, albeit just a little bit. "Tease." Some years ago, a conversation like this might've been something he wasn't comfortable with or even capable of. But now…

Honestly, he was too damn tired to follow that trail of thought. Besides, it was very hard to dwell on the past with the way Naruto was holding him.

He was almost dozing off when Naruto's murmur-light voice brought him back full awareness after almost an hour of comfortable silence. "Hey, Sasuke?" A warm, tender kiss to which he gladly responded was placed to his lips. "Thank you, for being with me today."

"Hmm." Deciding to follow his urges, he turned so that he could press his forehead against the blond's. "Where else would I have been?" That was the closest to saying 'I love you' he could ever get, and he hoped dearly his boyfriend saw the hidden meaning.

Apparently there was no reason to worry. He could actually feel Naruto's smile while the blond wrapped a pair of arms around him and held him close. They were silent for a long time before the man spoke. "It's late. Do you want to go to sleep?"

Usually he might've said 'no', but tonight he felt perfectly comfortable with simply allowing himself to snuggle slightly closer to the other man's warmth while closing his eyes. "You better not snore again – I'm blind, not deaf."

Naruto most likely attempted to swat his head, but it came out as a caress. "I don't snore." A one more kiss was planted to his nose. "'G'night."

"Hmm", was all he managed.

While falling asleep to Naruto's familiar scent and touch, he knew that he'd sleep peacefully through the night.

-

About half an hour later Naruto smiled as he looked at his sleeping boyfriend.

Their path certainly hadn't been the easiest possible one, and they still had a ton of mess to sort out. But during calm evenings like this, he couldn't help but be hopeful. How could he not have been hopeful when he had something like this?

Just as he was about to fall asleep, his eyes strayed towards the still open balcony door, then to the space behind it. His heart skipped a beat when for just a couple of seconds he could've sworn he saw the ghosts of Iruka and Itachi watching them with smiles on their faces. Then a cool breeze appeared, and once he'd closed his eyes for a second the sight was gone.

He'd expected something like that to bring tears to his eyes. Instead, however, he realized that for the first time he could think about Iruka without the pain almost breaking his heart.

There was a slight smile on his face as he pulled a sleeping Sasuke closer still, whispering a soundless 'Goodnight' to the ghosts of the past.

From thereon, his dreams weren't of the past anymore.

* * *

/ **_We're all of us stars  
We're fading away  
Just try not to worry  
You'll see us some day  
Just take what you need  
And be on your way  
And stop crying your heart out  
Stop crying your heart out_** /

* * *

**_Owari._**

* * *

1) This is the first actually existing place mentioned in this story. (grins)

* * *

A/N: So… Now the story's over. Man, I can't believe this! (starts bawling) I'm going to miss this story, and I hope I'm not the only one. (keeps sniffling)

Awkay… At this point I've gotta thank you from the very bottom of my heart; for reading and listing this story, and especially for all those incredible reviews! This is officially my most popular ficcy ever, and you guys can't even imagine how happy you've made me. (sniffs from movement, beams and HUGS) This was most likely no easy read, and at time this was also a difficult and a bit personal one to write (I've NEVER put this much heart and soul to anything I've written), so I'm very happy you decided to stick around. (grins, and showers all kinds of treats) So, in short, you guys are the greatest!

Before I stop babbling and tune out… **PLEASE**, leave a review to let me know if this ending was sufficient and worth the wait! It'd mean a lot to hear what ya guys think, you know?

Once more, THANK YOU! I really hope I'll see a lot of ya around.

Peace out!

* * *

**My Isolated Soul**: Yosh, I'm VERY happy to hear you liked the chapter! (grins from ear to ear)

(blushes) GOSH, thank you so much for those amazing words!

HUGE thank yous for the review!

C ya next time, I hope.

-

**Aachen**: Awww, now of course Naruto heard you! He's an observant little thing deep down, now isn't he? (grins) And SASUKE LIVES (emotionally scarred and messed up, but still)! (dances around happily) Though he's a meanie-face for making Naruto cry so much. (pouts, and swat's the teme's thick skull)

And DEFINITELY, go Kakashi! You can't even imagine how satisfying it was to write that scene between him and Sai. (sighs happily)

And Sai's gone! (smirks wickedly) WOAAH!

Gigantic thank yous for the review!

C ya with the epilogue, no?

-

**dkjhgdfg**: WOAH! (blushes, then HUGS) Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the compliment!

(winces) It sure took longer than 24 hours, but I hope this wasn't TOO slow. (grins sheepishly)

Monumental thank yous for the review!

I really hope you'll join in for the last one.


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